Spain Hosts Meeting on Israel-Palestinian Two-State Solution

(From Front-L) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and (From Back-L) Quatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and Bahrain's Foreign Affairs subsecretary Sheik Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Khalifa pose for a group picture after a meeting on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid on September 13, 2024. (AFP)
(From Front-L) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and (From Back-L) Quatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and Bahrain's Foreign Affairs subsecretary Sheik Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Khalifa pose for a group picture after a meeting on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid on September 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Spain Hosts Meeting on Israel-Palestinian Two-State Solution

(From Front-L) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and (From Back-L) Quatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and Bahrain's Foreign Affairs subsecretary Sheik Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Khalifa pose for a group picture after a meeting on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid on September 13, 2024. (AFP)
(From Front-L) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and (From Back-L) Quatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and Bahrain's Foreign Affairs subsecretary Sheik Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Khalifa pose for a group picture after a meeting on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid on September 13, 2024. (AFP)

Ministers from Muslim and European countries along with the European Union's foreign affairs chief gathered Friday in Madrid to discuss how to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Together, we want to identify the concrete actions that will enable us to make progress towards this objective," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social network X.

"The international community must take a decisive step towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," the Socialist premier added.

Sanchez welcomed participants at his official residence before the start of the meeting at the foreign ministry in central Madrid, hosted by his top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares.

In attendance were Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye -- all members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza -- as well as the heads of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The European Union was represented by its foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell as well as the foreign ministers of Ireland, Norway and Slovenia in addition to Spain.

"The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to ensure a just and lasting peace in the region through the peaceful and secure coexistence of the state of Palestine and the state of Israel," Albares told a news conference.

Asked about Israel's absence from the meeting, he said the country had not been invited because it belonged "neither to the group of Europeans nor to the Arab-Islamic contact group" but stressed he would be "delighted" if Israel took part in discussions on the two-state solution.

Calls for the solution have grown since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Hamas also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel has responded with an offensive that has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.

Sanchez has been one of the staunchest critics in Europe of Israel's Gaza offensive since the start of the conflict.

Under his watch, Spain on May 28 along with Ireland and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Earlier this month he announced that the first "bilateral summit between Spain and Palestine" would be held before the end of the year. He said he expected "several collaboration agreements between the two states" to be signed.



Türkiye Backs Sharaa’s Stability Efforts, Erdogan Says amid Syrian Violence

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Malaysia-Türkiye Business Forum during his working visit to Malaysia, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, February 11, 2025. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Malaysia-Türkiye Business Forum during his working visit to Malaysia, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, February 11, 2025. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Backs Sharaa’s Stability Efforts, Erdogan Says amid Syrian Violence

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Malaysia-Türkiye Business Forum during his working visit to Malaysia, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, February 11, 2025. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Malaysia-Türkiye Business Forum during his working visit to Malaysia, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, February 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Türkiye was advising Syrian authorities to help ease tensions and welcomed interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's commitment to punishing those who acted outside the law.

"Sharaa is pursuing an inclusive policy without falling into the trap of revanchism. Continuing this approach will thwart the games being played against Syria," Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

Erdogan's political opponents have urged him to use his influence over Syrian leaders to curb the violence that erupted in the neighboring country in recent days.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) called for an international peacekeeping force to maintain security in western Syria, just south of Türkiye, if the government could not ensure civilian safety there.

Clashes between loyalists of deposed President Bashar al-Assad and the country's new rulers have killed scores of people in Assad's coastal heartland in recent days, according to a war monitoring group.

Türkiye, the strongest foreign backer of Sharaa, has condemned the violence and reiterated its support for the interim president.

The instability could damage Ankara's hopes of ending a decades-old conflict with Kurdish militants, some based in Syria, and possibly slow a flow of Syrians returning home from Türkiye in recent months after 13 years of war in Syria.

"Türkiye must take initiatives with the Damascus administration and make the necessary efforts to prevent such incidents from happening," Ali Mahir Basarir, a senior CHP lawmaker, said during a visit to the border province of Hatay.

"The escalation of clashes represents a major risk for Türkiye," he added.

Visiting Jordan at the weekend, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye was determined to assist the Syrian government in every way and support stabilization efforts.

Sharaa has vowed to catch those responsible for the killings, and Syria's defense ministry announced on Monday the completion of military operations against the remnants of Assad's forces.

Relative calm followed Assad's ousting in December. Syrian security sources said over the weekend more than 300 of their members had been killed in clashes with former army personnel owing allegiance to Assad in coordinated attacks and ambushes on their forces that began on Thursday.

Türkiye has backed anti-Assad Syrian forces for years and maintains bases in Syria's north. Its defense ministry said there was no surge in deployments late last week, after sources in Syria said more armored vehicles had crossed the border.

"We see that certain sectarian and ethnic provocations are being used by certain groups through proxy forces," Omer Celik, the spokesman for Erdogan's ruling AK Party, said on Sunday.