Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albarez called for a permanent ceasefire, with the risk of Israeli military operations extending to the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and for all land points to be opened once and for all to provide aid to civilians in Gaza.

The Spanish Foreign Minister stressed before the meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg that recognition of the Palestinian state is absolutely necessary if we want a political solution to the situation in the Middle East, and the two-state solution means making peace final and irreversible, and avoiding continuing cycles of violence.

Albaris warned against the conflict spreading to Lebanon, and said: “The possibility of the conflict spreading to Lebanon worries us, because its dimensions will change, and because Lebanon is a fragile and tense state.”