Spain to vote on Palestine recognition

Spanish parliament plans to hold a symbolic vote next week on a draft resolution to recognise a Palestinian state.

The non-binding resolution, introduced by the opposition Socialist Party, will be discussed in parliament on Tuesday, and it appears that the ruling conservative party will support it, the AP has reported.

The move comes after other European countries held similar votes aimed at increasing the pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Last months, Britain and Ireland approved similar motion, while Sweden formally recognised the State of Palestine on October 30 sparking protests from Israel, which withdrew its ambassador from Stockholm.

French lawmakers will vote on November 28 on a proposal by the Socialist Party urging the government to recognise Palestine as a state.

A draft of the proposal states that the lower house National Assembly “invites the French government to use the recognition of the state of Palestine as an instrument to gain a definitive resolution of the conflict.”

“This recognition must be useful for efforts to break the deadlock and contribute to a final resolution of the conflict,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told AFP on Saturday.