Ireland and Spain are discussing a joint plan to recognize the State of Palestine

Ireland – Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, is discussing their joint plan to recognize the State of Palestine, during their meeting in Dublin yesterday, Friday.

Cairo News Channel said that the meeting also witnesses an attempt to force the European Union to evaluate Israel’s commitments in the field of human rights, as a condition for their trade agreement with the bloc.

This meeting comes after Ireland and Spain wrote a letter to the President of the European Commission requesting an “urgent review” into whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations.

Harris said on Thursday evening, “Sanchez is welcome to Dublin, where he will be the first head of government I have welcomed into government buildings, and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss the issue of recognizing the State of Palestine and broader issues, including that letter.”

Harris added, “European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen believes that there is an opportunity at the next summit of European Union foreign ministers to discuss and consider these matters,” indicating that work is underway to review these matters.

In a related context, Tánaiste Michael Martin, Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, had stated that he would submit a formal proposal regarding recognition of the Palestinian state to the government when “broader international discussions” ended.

On the other hand, the Spanish Prime Minister was one of the most critical voices of Israel in the European Union, and earlier stated before his country’s House of Representatives that recognition of a Palestinian state is “Europe’s geopolitical interest,” reiterating that Madrid is “ready” to take this step.

It is noteworthy that in late March, Sanchez issued a joint declaration with his Irish, Maltese, and Slovenian counterparts, in which they affirmed their willingness to recognize the State of Palestine, justifying this by saying that this recognition would contribute positively to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli war on Gaza continues on its 189th day, which has resulted in the deaths of 33,545 Palestinians so far, while the number of injured has reached 76,094, 72% of the victims being women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.