Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez continued his efforts to mobilize support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, and said that there were "clear indications" in Europe that the continent's countries were ready to take this step.

This came during a press conference held by Sanchez with his Norwegian counterpart in Oslo today, Friday, as part of a tour that also takes him to Poland and Ireland to urge leaders to recognize the State of Palestine at the European Union level.

Sanchez said, "The international community has defended the two-state solution for many years, and it is time to move from words to actions. The seriousness of the situation requires action from all parties in the international community. We cannot allow more violence and the killing of innocent civilians."

The Spanish Prime Minister stressed that his country has publicly committed to recognizing the State of Palestine as soon as possible, so that this will reflect positively on the peace process, as he put it.

For his part, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storhe said that his country is ready to recognize a Palestinian state and support its membership in the United Nations.

Gar Stoura described the Spanish Prime Minister's initiative as important.

This comes after the presidency of the UN Security Council announced - yesterday, Thursday - that no consensus had been reached regarding the Palestinian initiative to obtain full membership in the United Nations, despite the support of two-thirds of the members of the committee concerned with accepting new members to the Council.

Since November 2023, the Spanish Prime Minister has been urging Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state in order to reach a peace settlement in the Middle East, in light of the Israeli war on Gaza.

On the sidelines of a European summit in Brussels at the end of last March, Sanchez issued a joint declaration with his Irish, Maltese and Slovenian counterparts, confirming that they are ready to recognize the State of Palestine when this would “make a positive contribution to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Former Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Alon Leal, said that Spain's recognition of a Palestinian state could "unlock a dynamic" and "lead to comprehensive recognition by Europe and the United Nations."

Sanchez's repeated criticism of the Israeli war on Gaza led to severe diplomatic tension with Tel Aviv, which temporarily recalled its ambassador to Spain last November in protest against statements by the Spanish Prime Minister.