MADRID: Ministers from Muslim and European countries, along with the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, gathered in Madrid on Friday to discuss how to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Together, we want to identify the concrete actions that will enable us to make progress towards this objective,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social network X.

“The international community must take a decisive step towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” the Socialist premier added.

Sanchez welcomed participants at his official residence before the start of the meeting at the foreign ministry in central Madrid, hosted by his top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares.

Asks international community to take a ‘decisive step’ towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East

In attendance were Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Turkiye — all members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza — as well as the heads of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The European Union was represented by its foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell as well as the foreign ministers of Ireland, Norway and Slovenia, in addition to Spain.

“The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to ensure a just and lasting peace in the region through the peaceful and secure coexistence of the state of Palestine and the state of Israel,” Albares told a news conference.

Asked about Israel’s absence from the meeting, he said the country had not been invited because it belonged “neither to the group of Europeans nor to the Arab-Islamic contact group”, but stressed he would be “delighted” if Israel took part in discussions on the two-state solution.

Calls for the solution have grown since the start of Gaza invasion by Israel after Oct 7.

The Spanish premier has been one of the staunchest critics in Europe of Israel’s Gaza offensive. Under his watch, Spain on May 28, along with Ireland and Norway, formally recognised a Palestinian state comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Earlier this month he announced that the first “bilateral summit between Spain and Palestine” would be held before the end of the year.

He said he expected “several collaboration agreements between the two states” to be signed.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024