Spanish FM calls for sanctions on 'Israel' amid aimless war on Gaza
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Jose Manuel Albares calls for international sanctions on "Israel" to end the war on Gaza ahead of a Madrid summit pushing for a ceasefire and a "two-state solution".
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Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, Foreign Minister of Spain, in London, on May 12, 2025. (AP)
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Sunday urged the international community to consider sanctions against "Israel" to help end the war on Gaza, ahead of a high-level summit in Madrid gathering European and Arab nations critical of Israeli actions.
“We must do everything, consider everything, to stop this war,” Albares told France Info, as Spain prepared to host representatives from 20 countries and key international organizations. The summit's goal is to demand an immediate ceasefire and revive momentum for a "two-state solution".
He emphasized the urgent need for unrestricted and massive humanitarian aid to Gaza. “Humanitarian aid must enter Gaza massively, unimpeded, neutrally, so that it is not Israel who decides who can eat and who cannot,” Albares said, adding that the war "no longer has any goal."
His comments follow Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s declaration on May 14, calling the Israeli occupation a “genocidal state". Sanchez has since imposed an arms embargo on "Israel" and formally recognized the State of Palestine.
The Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Norway, and Ireland, which have accused "Israel" of genocide in Gaza, will all be represented at the Madrid summit.
Malta to recognize state of Palestine next month: PM
Earlier, in a prelude to follow in the footsteps of Spain and others, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that Malta will officially recognize the State of Palestine, citing an unfolding "human tragedy" and bringing a 45-year national debate on the matter to a close. However, the formal recognition will take place next month, following a conference scheduled for June 20.
"We cannot close our eyes to this human tragedy that is getting worse every day," Abela said, referring to the ongoing war on Gaza, where nearly 54,000 people, mostly children and women, have reportedly lost their lives.
The announcement was made during a political event on Sunday, where Abela addressed both local and international issues, with a strong focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He shared his reflections from a recent visit to Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan, where he met children brought to Malta for medical treatment.
