Sánchez defends the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine in Egypt and urges "to protect all civilians"

MADRID, 21 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The acting President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has defended the recognition of two States, Israel and Palestine, as a solution to the conflict, and has urged the protection of "all civilians" affected by the war between Israel and Hamas.

"What we need today is to protect all civilians. I repeat, protect all civilians: those who are held hostage (by Hamas) and who need to be returned to their families and those who are suffering the horror in Gaza," he said. demanded in his speech at the 'Cairo for Peace' Summit in Egypt.

Sánchez has specified that "the only way" to achieve this is "through more humanitarian aid and a halt to humanitarian jurisdiction" together with the "effort" of the international community to "lay the foundations of two States, Israel and Palestine, that respect each other." mutually and coexist in security and peace".

In this sense, he called to "take advantage of any opportunity to promote dialogue and peace" at this "critical" moment that has the world "shocked by the spiral of violence and bloodshed."

"It is time for the international community to act bravely," he cried, insisting that the summit in Egypt must be the "first step."

In this context, Sánchez, who has reiterated Spain's condemnation "of the terrorist attacks perpetrated against Israel" and the recognition of Israel's right to "defend itself in strict compliance with international law and international humanitarian law", has warned that if the international community does not act, the situation could "get dramatically worse."

For this reason, he has asked to focus on what is "urgent and important", which, in his opinion, involves three priorities. The first of them, he explained, is "to protect the civilian population and guarantee access for humanitarian aid to Gaza."

"This means sustainable and large-scale humanitarian aid that meets the needs of the Palestinian population," he stressed, joining the call of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, for a "humanitarian ceasefire."

Secondly, he urged Hamas to "release all hostages immediately and unconditionally" and, thirdly, he warned that the conflict cannot be allowed to become a "regional crisis."

"The situation is very volatile and a small spark can start a fire. We must use all our political influence with all relevant actors to avoid an escalation of the conflict," said Sánchez.

"For too many years, the international community thought that we could live without paying too much attention to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Recent events have shown us that we were wrong. We cannot postpone a solution," he said.