Pedro Sánchez first said in a tweet in 2015:we will know Palestinian state when i became prime ministerIn the middle of the 2015 election campaign, the PSOE included this in its 2019 election program: “We will promote the recognition of the State of Palestine by the members of the European Union”. In 2014, Congress voted almost unanimously to encourage the government to recognize Palestine as an independent and sovereign state. However, four years after the start of the legislature, Moncloa still does not exist.
This is the context upon arrival in Madrid Hosni Abdel Wahid, new ambassador and head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission. As such, at the ID card presentation ceremony on May 9, King VI. Greeted by Felipe.
“Recognition of the State of Palestine will be an indication that the Spanish government is pursuing a progressive foreign policy,” Abdel Wahid said in a meeting with El Periódico de España a few weeks after he took office as the previous ambassador to Palestine.
Have you had a meeting with the government, perhaps with the minister? José Manuel Albares?
We held various meetings with different institutions, including officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives of civil society and political parties. We’ve already started to move.
How did you feel?
Everything was very enjoyable, we were very well received. The authorities have a good attitude, confirming a very positive historical relationship between Spain and Palestine.
However, the Spanish Government has not yet recognized Palestine. What did they say was missing to do this? Did you mention this in your conversations with the government?
They see this with good eyes and are waiting for the right moment, which we hope will come soon.
The right moment depends on what? If you have already been approved by Congress…
As far as I know there are no obstacles. simply The Spanish Government has political calculations and we hope they will take the final step after these calculations. Because while it is true that there is no formal recognition, there is implicit recognition. For example, my presence here as an ambassador from Palestine, or my offering of credence to His Majesty the King, means recognition. All that remains is to take the final step of recognizing the picture.
So it is more difficult to understand what the problem is. What could be the reason for reluctance or procrastination? relations with the USA? Isn’t it to anger Israel?
I am not a spokesperson for the Spanish Government, I cannot speak for the Government. We always argue that being a friend of one does not mean being an enemy of another. Spain was part of the first serious attempt to seek a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the Madrid conference 31 years ago. Spain has the privilege of having good relations with both parties. We call on the Spanish Government to take back this leading role. Recognition of the State of Palestine would be a step towards the recognition of Spain as an important political actor.
Is there a place for them to wait? There will be an election in a year, there is a left government, will they press now because it is in the program?
It is extremely important for us to be recognized by Spain. We will try to achieve this. Politics has its times. Not much left for next year. Yes, it is necessary to intensify relations with both political and social actors and components.
This includes the Saharawi and the Saharawi in relations with Morocco. Polisario Front feeling betrayed… Do you think the Sahara issue has been properly resolved? Is there a feeling that can resemble Palestine?
And I speak on behalf of the Palestinian people. I cannot comment on Spanish foreign policy or interfere in the affairs of other countries. […]. So far, Spain has not taken any steps that could be understood as a regression in Palestinian-Spain relations. We will work to consolidate and upgrade them. I think that the recognition of the State of Palestine will be an indication of the progressive foreign policy of the Spanish Government.
Following the murder of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, the State Department released a statement mourning his “death” and calling for an investigation. Saying that this was insufficient, Podemos asked Minister Albares to define it as murder. Did the minister fail? Did his reaction upset you?
It’s important to be clear and not fall into the trap of using untrue words. There are two measuring sticks, one for Israel and the other different from the one used for. It was an assassination, a despicable assassination: all the evidence and testimonies of those present confirm that it was a deliberate assassination by the Israeli occupation troops. There are independent organizations that carry out their own investigations and come to this conclusion, independent of both the press and Human Rights. Our request to the entire international community is that double standards and double standards are not applied. This West, which prides itself on being the cradle of human rights and democracy, has not treated Palestine and Israel fairly. As always, there are some reservations about telling, as Israel has managed to frighten the West with the issue of anti-Semitism. Have pity on anyone who criticizes Israel because they will soon be branded as anti-Semitic.
“There is no good or bad occupation, no good or bad colonialism”
Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, among others, have signed on to the normalization of relations with Israel. Is it a problem that Israel gets along well with countries that have traditionally supported the Palestinian cause?
Look, Israel has always tried to get along with everyone except Palestine. Representing Israel little more than the US president, US President Donald Trump has pressured some countries to improve their relations with Tel Aviv. Israel may have the best relations with the whole world, but whoever it occupies and oppresses is the Palestinian people. […] Signing with some countries does not mean that peace has come to the Middle East.
But looking to the present and the future: Few people in the Israeli Parliament stick to the two-state solution. Will they hold a referendum in their town to see if they want a solution other than the two-state solution?
The truth is, Israel is doing one thing and doing the opposite. He enters into an open contradiction while insisting on his democratic and Jewish character. There is an obvious element of racism and discrimination in this name. It is private and excluded…
I don’t ask him about Israel’s position as much as his…
This is because they are connected. There is a section of the Palestinian people who are Israeli citizens and they are subject to this policy of discrimination and racism. In 2018, the “Nation-State” law was passed, which states that Israel is the state of the Jews and that the right to self-determination is exclusive to Jews. This is a situation of discrimination and apartheid condemned by Israeli human rights organizations such as B’tselem, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The Palestinian people continue their struggle for a two-state solution. […] If Israel continues this policy, it is moving towards a single state with two systems: democracy for the Jews and apartheid for the Palestinians. If this is so, it is not the responsibility of the Palestinian people to have made it accept the complicity of the Israeli occupation and the silence of the international community.
But how will you, as the Palestinian representative, respond to the disappearance of the two-state solution that was in the majority years ago?
It is usual for the Palestinian people and authorities to be asked to explain something Israel has done. No, this two-state solution is the responsibility of the international community, because it is the one who created the State of Israel at the expense of the Palestinian people and it is the one who endorsed a two-state solution. The Palestinian people cannot be held responsible for the failure of the international community and the intransigence of Israel, the spoiled, spoiled and spoiled child of the international community. No. Palestinian people have the right to self-determinationlive in their own independent and sovereign states. It is the responsibility of the international community and the State of Israel.
I think the blow that Donald Trump gave to the game board when he transferred the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was a heavy blow for you…
Yes, it was for international law rather than a heavy blow for the Palestinian people. Multilateral organisations, Geneva conventions, international treaties and agreements. Mr. Trump and the US Administration have violated a stable principle, a fundamental pillar, the regulator of relations between peoples, states and nations, which prevents and punishes the occupation of foreign lands. It imposes a new doctrine of relations between peoples and nations, returning us to the law of the jungle.
Joe Biden It’s not like he’s going to turn it down…
At least he announced something different, but we see that time is ticking and he does not implement what he announced. […] We hope that if Biden eventually tours the area, it seems, he will bring something tangible than he promised.
[…] commemorates 55 years of occupation of Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem; Three weeks ago, we celebrated the 74th anniversary of the Nakba, when the State of Israel was established at the expense of the Palestinian people, occupied 78% of historic Palestine and expelled three-quarters of the Palestinian population. About six million Palestinians continue to live as refugees today. It is urgent that the international community realizes the seriousness of this issue and that it is fair, as in other cases very harsh sanctions were imposed on some actors within two months for what they thought had taken serious action. Case from Israel, it’s been 74 years…
It’s about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
you know what’s going on…
I’m surprised you don’t want to say it in all the letters, why?
You get what it’s about. Western political actors act with 10% violence and violence when it comes to Israel. In other cases I am satisfied with the 10% force they apply. There are no good or bad professions; There is no good or bad colonialism. All colonialism and all occupations are bad. You should act accordingly. Do not push the Palestinian people to suicide or sacrifice. I believe that what we experience will also be reflected in international policies towards Palestine.