Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met Palestinian PM Mohammad Mustafa and leading officials from several Middle Eastern countries in Madrid after Spain, Ireland and Norway recognised a Palestinian state, The Associated Press reports.

Mustafa was joined by Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the foreign ministers for Turkiye and Jordan — members of the group called the Foreign Ministerial Committee of Arabic and Islamic countries for Gaza.

With Spain and Ireland, there are now nine members of the European Union that officially recognise a Palestinian state. Norway is not an EU member, but its foreign policy regularly aligns with the bloc.

Slovenia, an EU member, will decide on recognising a Palestinian state on Thursday and forward its decision to parliament for final approval.

Editorial

Updated 01 Aug, 2026

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