Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed France's decision to follow Spain's example and recognize the State of Palestine, EFE news agency reported, BTA reports.
“We must defend what (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to destroy. The two-state solution is the only way forward“, Sanchez said in a statement from the city of Aix.
Last night, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as an independent state during the UN General Assembly in September. France will thus become the 12th country in the European Union to officially recognize Palestine.
So far, 11 of the 27 EU member states have recognized Palestine. Seven of them did so before joining the union, after its proclamation by Yasser Arafat on November 15, 1988. These are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia (then part of Czechoslovakia), Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland. In 2014, Sweden became the first country to recognize Palestine after joining the EU. In May 2024, Spain and Ireland joined this position, and a month later - Slovenia.