Spain's Albares: Netanyahu's vow on a Palestinian state will fade as two-state path gains support

At the United Nations General Assembly, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertion that there will never be a Palestinian state, saying Israelis will one day choose to live side by side with Palestinians in peace. "The day that everyone will have recognized the state of Palestine, we will have to move forward," Albares told The Associated Press in an interview conducted at the UN on Monday. He noted a "real wave" of countries that had recognized Palestine since Spain, Ireland and Norway did so in May 2024, and said broad international support backs a two-state solution to the nearly eight-decade conflict.

Albares stressed that the timing of further recognitions could accelerate the move toward a two-state framework. He noted that Palestinians were counting on new recognitions during the current General Assembly gathering, with several governments expected to formalize recognition of the State of Palestine in the days ahead. He said an overwhelming number of countries thus far back a two-state solution and that diplomacy should continue to push toward that outcome, describing it as the only path to durable peace.

France, Luxembourg, Belgium and others announced recognitions during the meeting, even as Netanyahu reiterated his vow that there will never be a Palestinian state. Over the weekend, recognitions came from the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Albares called Hamas "a terrorist organization" that does not want a two-state solution and urged a focus on those who support peaceful, secure coexistence. "So let's put aside the extremists, and let's look for the people that want a peaceful and secure coexistence." He said Spain has taken a leading role in pressing Israel to end the Gaza war, criticizing the humanitarian toll and the scale of violence since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Spain has moved to pressure Israel as part of a broader push to realign European diplomacy with UN-based principles—peace, justice, human rights and human dignity. Albares argued that it is incompatible for a democratic state to maintain normal relations with Israel while the Gaza war continues unresolved, insisting that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve security and dignity.

In recent weeks, Spain’s government has intensified its public stance against Israel’s actions in Gaza. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez characterized the war as genocide earlier this month and announced steps to formalize an arms embargo and block fuel deliveries bound for Israel from Spanish ports. Netanyahu criticized Sánchez’s stance as a "blatant genocidal threat." The public disagreement spilled into domestic and international arenas, including protests in Madrid in which demonstrators supporting Palestinians interrupted the final leg of an international cycling event associated with a team connected to Israel. Spain’s government publicly supported those demonstrations while ministers and Israeli leaders accused Madrid of antisemitism.

On defense and security, Albares defended Spain’s stance on spending, defending the government’s decision not to meet a 5% of GDP defense spending target demanded by some U.S. officials. At a NATO conference in June, Spain was the only member to say it would not increase expenditure to that level. Albares asserted that Spain would meet necessary defense commitments and cited a 2.1% of GDP target as adequate for “Euro-Atlantic security within NATO.” He pointed to Spain’s military deployments along Europe’s eastern flank, including a peak of about 3,000 personnel, as evidence of its commitment to collective security and deterrence.

"The United States is a historic, natural ally of Spain and of Europe, and we should continue to work with Washington as we advance our shared security interests," Albares said. "Let's keep doing it in the same way. But, of course, we need two for a tango." He added that Europe must increasingly chart its own course, whether on trade or security, while maintaining a robust, multilateral approach under the United Nations framework. Citing broader global challenges—from wars and poverty to climate change and rapid advances in artificial intelligence—he argued the only durable answer is cooperation among nations rather than unilateral steps. "At the end, cooperation is always much stronger than confrontation," he said, underscoring Spain’s commitment to multilateral diplomacy as the basis for regional and global stability.