Foreign minister hails Spain’s recognition of State of Palestine

AMMAN —  Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has expressed Jordan's appreciation for Spain's historic decision to recognise the State of Palestine, announced on Tuesday by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

During a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, Safadi underlined the importance of Spain's recognition of the State of Palestine, stressing that the move supports the inalienable rights of the Palestinians to live in dignity and freedom in their independent and sovereign state on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

He stressed that the decision was in line with international law, principles of justice and efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.

Spain’s recognition of Palestine, along with similar decisions by Norway, Ireland and Slovenia, represents a legal, ethical and humanitarian stance in support of justice and international law. It contributes to ending the conflict and maintaining the credibility of international laws and conventions, in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression that violates international law and results in massacres and the destruction of Gaza’s community, Safadi said.

Safadi and Albares also discussed efforts to stop the aggression on Gaza, address the humanitarian catastrophe it has caused and ensure the protection of the Palestinians.

He also expressed Jordan’s solidarity with Spain in the face of the “unethical attacks” by Israeli officials following Spain’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine, commending Spain’s leading role in efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace and, citing in this regard, the Madrid Process initiated by Spain to bring peace to the region.

He stressed the importance of preventing extremists in the Israeli government from determining the future of the region.

The two ministers discussed the coordination of Arab-European and international efforts to stop the aggression on Gaza and its disastrous consequences and to implement the two-state solution in accordance with relevant international resolutions.

Spanish foreign minister reaffirmed the deep-rooted Spanish-Jordanian relations and acknowledged the important role of Jordan in efforts to achieve security, stability and peace in the region, the statement said.

Safadi arrived in Madrid earlier on Tuesday with other members of the ministerial committee appointed by the Extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza. This visit to Spain is the thirteenth stop of the committee since it was formed at the Riyadh-hosted summit held on 11 November of 2023.

The Committee aims to mobilise international efforts to stop the aggression against Gaza and to push for a serious and genuine political process to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace based on established international references.

The committee is scheduled to meet Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Wednesday.