The establishment of a Palestinian state is \u201cthe only route to peace\u201d in the Middle East, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said as his country announced formal recognition, alongside Norway and Ireland. Sanchez spoke on Tuesday before a cabinet vote that approved the previously announced plan to recognise a Palestinian state. Norway\u2019s recognition has also taken effect, while Ireland was due to follow suit later in the day. Spanish government spokesperson Pilar Alegria announced that the cabinet had \u201cadopted an important decision to recognise a Palestinian state\u201d, which had \u201cone objective: to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace\u201d. The Spanish prime minister called the move \u201ca matter of historical justice\u201d. \u201cThe only route towards establishing peace is the establishment of a Palestinian state, living side by side with the state of Israel,\u201d he said. \u201cThe state of Palestine must be viable with the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and with East Jerusalem as its capital.\u201d Madrid will not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders unless agreed to by both parties, he said. The occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip were part of the territory Israel seized in 1967 in the Arab-Israeli War. The leaders of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia said in March that they were considering recognising a Palestinian state as \u201ca positive contribution\u201d towards ending the war in Gaza. As Oslo\u2019s recognition took effect, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement, \u201cFor more than 30 years, Norway has been one of the strongest advocates for a Palestinian state. Today, when Norway officially recognises Palestine as a state, is a milestone in the relationship between Norway and Palestine.\u201d Meanwhile, the Palestinian flag was raised in Dublin outside the seat of the Irish parliament. \u201cThis is an important moment and I think it sends a signal to the world that there are practical actions you can take as a country to help keep the hope and destination of a two-state solution alive at a time when others are trying to sadly bomb it into oblivion,\u201d Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said before a cabinet meeting that was set to formally sign off on the decision. Malta and Slovenia have suggested they will also take the same step, although not immediately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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