Spain hosts meeting of European and Muslim countries on Palestinian statehood

Spain will host a meeting of European and Muslim countries on Palestinian statehood scheduled on Friday, news organisations reported. While Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares will lead the meeting, it will be attended by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza.

According to news organisations, the meeting will discuss how the long-standing conflict between Israel-Palestine can be best solved, particularly in the wake of a year-long armed struggle between Israel and Hamas in Palestine. The international community sees the two-state solution given in the 1991 Madrid Conference and the 1993-95 Oslo Accords as a possible solution to end the conflict. However, the peace-process had stopped, literally, for years.

In May, Spain, Norway and Ireland have formally recognized unified Palestine state envisaged by Palestinian Authority comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Along with these countries, 146 of the 193 member states of the United Nations today recognise Palestinian statehood.

With each successive war against Palestine, Israel has been expanding Jewish settlements occupying territories of Palestine. In 1967, it captured West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In 1980, it annexed East Jerusalem. The international community including the United Nations have repeatedly asked Israel to vacate illegally occupied territories in Palestine, but conflict continues.