At UN conference, Spain slams unilateral decisions that hinder 2-state solution as unacceptable
Jose Manuel Albares urges recognition of Palestine, humanitarian access to Gaza, accountability for violations of international law
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares
GENEVA
Spain’s foreign minister on Monday warned that unilateral actions, settler violence, and forced displacements are not acceptable as they threaten the viability of a two-state solution, calling for both accountability and action.
Addressing a high-level conference on Palestine at UN headquarters, Jose Manuel Albares said: "We cannot accept unilateral decisions that hinder the viability of this two-state solution. We cannot accept settler violence, we cannot accept successive forced displacements."
"And in the event of a violation of the legal framework we have established for ourselves, which binds us all, including Israel, we must clearly demand accountability," he urged.
Albares said the world is witnessing "the worst" episode of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which remains the oldest unresolved issue on the UN's agenda. He reminded delegates that the UN's first peace mission was in Palestine, yet the region now faces "a more serious situation than ever" as nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed since October 2023.
Calling a two-state solution "the only possible path toward peace," he stressed that there can be no return to the pre-Oct. 7, 2023 status quo. He urged the recognition of the state of Palestine – already acknowledged by 149 UN member states – and supported its admission as a full member of the UN.
He also reaffirmed that the Palestinian authority is "the only legitimate actor" to assume future governance of Gaza, and called for a viable Palestinian state "with Gaza and the West Bank under a single Palestinian national authority with territorial continuity, connecting both areas by a land corridor with access to the sea, a port in Gaza, and its capital in East Jerusalem."
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, Albares demanded the "massive and unimpeded" delivery of aid, led by the UN and especially the UNRWA.
"We reiterate our commitment to comply with international law," he said, citing UN Security Council resolutions and an International Court of Justice 2024 advisory opinion.
Before his address to the UN, Albares announced that Spain will airdrop 12 tons of food aid into Gaza, equal to about 5,500 meal rations, "for justice and humanity." The operation will use 24 parachutes, each with a 500-kilogram (1,102-pound) capacity.
