At the United Nations this week, Spain’s foreign minister delivered a sharp rebuke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow that there will “never” be a Palestinian state, insisting instead that recognition is inevitable and peace will ultimately prevail.
José Manuel Albares, speaking to the Associated Press on Monday, said momentum is building across the globe for Palestinian statehood. Since Spain, Ireland, and Norway formally recognized Palestine in May, he noted, a “real wave” of nations has followed, with more than 145 countries now supporting a two-state solution.
“The day that everyone has recognized the state of Palestine, we will have to move forward,” Albares said, voicing confidence that Israelis, too, will one day embrace coexistence.
Spain has emerged as one of Israel’s fiercest critics in Europe. Madrid has condemned what it calls “atrocities” in Gaza, where war rages nearly a year after Hamas’ October 7 attacks. Albares labeled Hamas a terrorist group opposed to peace, urging the international community to marginalize extremists and back those pursuing security and coexistence.
Spain’s pressure has gone beyond rhetoric. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez earlier this month described the war as a “genocide,” announcing an arms embargo and banning Israel-bound fuel shipments through Spanish ports. Netanyahu responded by accusing him of issuing a “genocidal threat.” The clash spilled into sports, where pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid disrupted an international cycling race featuring an Israeli-affiliated team. Spain’s government then called for Israel’s suspension from international competitions, prompting accusations of antisemitism from Israeli officials and reciprocal diplomatic bans.
For Albares, the stakes extend beyond Gaza. He argued that Spain is defending the principles on which the United Nations was founded: peace, justice, human rights, and human dignity. “We cannot accept that the natural way for the people in the Middle East to relate is through war, through violence,” he said.
The minister also dismissed U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for NATO allies to boost defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, stressing Spain already meets alliance targets at 2 percent. With 3,000 troops deployed on Europe’s eastern flank, Albares said Spain is “a very committed ally.”
Ultimately, he concluded, only cooperation, not confrontation, can address today’s global crises.
