Spanish foreign minister urges going 'beyond talking about' 2-state solution

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – Spain’s foreign minister on Monday said that the time is ripe to move beyond talking about a two-state solution and instead begin talking about its implementation.

After leaving the EU Foreign Affairs Council, where foreign ministers from across the EU, the Arab world, and Israel debated the issue, Jose Manuel Albares said: “Just because it’s not easy, doesn’t mean it’s not realistic. Because we all agree on one thing – peace … and this is the only realistic option for peace.”

Without naming countries, he said “more and more” European nations are beginning to agree with Spain in terms of the conflict in Gaza and the urgent need for a lasting peace via the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Albares said Spain is committed to recognizing an independent Palestine, but said he would rather do so alongside the entire international community at a peace conference.

“This is not extravagant, extraordinary or new – the entire international community, including Palestine and Israel, has agreed on it on several occasions … we all know what a definitive peace would mean for the Middle East and what a viable Palestinian state would look like,” he told journalists.

He said a realistic Palestinian state would have a single authority in Gaza and the West Bank; both territories connected by a corridor; access to the sea and a port in Gaza; and its capital in East Jerusalem.

“It’s the only guarantee that the Palestinians will have a future. It’s the only guarantee of security for Israel, Palestine, and all of the Middle East,” he added.

While Albares said his priority is now on helping organize a peace conference to implement a two-state solution, he also said Spain will support the Palestinian Authority financially and diplomatically to regain control of Gaza.

Albares also advocated for an immediate ceasefire, which he said is all the more urgent due to the “absolutely intolerable number of civilian victims” and “extreme humanitarian situation.”

He added that no decisions were made on the conflict at Monday’s foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, but that now is the time for dialogue and shaping the framework for the peace process.

Albares also said that no decisions were made on the EU’s navy mission in the Red Sea to protect shipping, but that no nation opposed the mission and that Spain will not be joining.