Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez assured his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday, that Israel's work for peace requires the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, rejecting the blind killing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as he put it.

This came during his meeting with Netanyahu during a visit to the Middle East with his Belgian counterpart, Alexander De Croo, to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to Israeli aggression for 48 days, resulting in the death of about 15,000 Palestinians.

Sanchez also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and tomorrow, Friday, he will head to Egypt with his Belgian counterpart.

Sanchez pledged last week that his new government would work in Europe in general and Spain in particular to recognize the Palestinian state, amid Spain's efforts to push for European positions that suit Palestinian aspirations.

"Impact on Europe"

For his part, Isaias Parrenada, a professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, believes that the Spanish Prime Minister hopes that his position will have a double impact on European countries that are being criticized by Arab countries as a result of their positions in support of Israel without conditions.

He continued that in light of the differences within the European Union regarding the position on Israel, it will be difficult for Spain to redirect the European position, adding that it can contribute by showing the different sensitivities within the Union on this issue.

A small diplomatic crisis broke out between Madrid and the Israeli embassy after statements by a Spanish minister in which she spoke about a planned genocide in Gaza.

It is noteworthy that in 2014, the Spanish Parliament almost unanimously adopted a non-binding resolution calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

European countries such as Sweden, Malta, Romania, and Hungary also recognized the Palestinian state, but the major countries in the European Union did not take this step.

Source: Agencies