UPDATE - Spain, Ireland discuss recognizing Palestinian state amid Rafah evacuation order

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY SPANISH PRIME MINISTER

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - The Spanish and Irish prime ministers discussed recognizing Palestinian statehood on Monday, as the Israeli military warned tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to evacuate.

Irish leader Simon Harris posted on X that both leaders are “eager to make progress on this very shortly” and “remain in close contact.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez emphasized on social media that a two-state solution is the “only way to achieve a future of peace, security and stability in the region.”

Sanchez later said he conversed with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani about the situation in Palestine.

"I shared my concern about a possible Israeli operation in Rafah with the emir," Sanchez posted on X, adding that he thanked the Qatari leader for the nation's mediating role between Hamas and Israel.

"Spain is committed to any work that aims at achieving a just and lasting peace in the region through the two-state solution and mutual recognition," he said.

Meanwhile, without referring directly to the evacuation of Palestinians in Rafah, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said he will meet his American counterpart Antony Blinken on Friday.

Speaking at a talk hosted by Europa Press and McKinsey, Albares said he will discuss the situation in Ukraine and Gaza with Blinken.

“Because the government of Spain defends exactly the same principles in Ukraine as in the Middle East — we want a return to peace, but a peace that is just and that fits within the charter of the United Nations.”

Since autumn, Spain has been advocating for an international peace conference that would result in a viable Palestinian state recognized by the Western world.

While Spain’s diplomatic efforts to get the entire EU to recognize Palestine have so far failed, Ireland, Malta, Norway, and Slovenia have also committed to recognizing the statehood bilaterally.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli military issued urgent evacuation orders to Palestinian residents and displaced individuals in several areas of eastern Rafah, urging them to immediately relocate to the town of al-Mawasi.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli onslaught has killed nearly 34,700 Palestinians, caused a humanitarian catastrophe and pushed 85% of the population into internal displacement.

The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said there was a “full-blown famine” in the north of Gaza and called for an urgent cease-fire in the blockaded enclave.