Spain's lower house of Parliament, the Congress of Deputies, has passed a non-legislative proposal calling on the nation's government to impose an arms embargo on Israel, work towards a negotiated settlement in the Middle East and immediately recognise the state of Palestine.
The six-point resolution was promoted by civil society and social movements such as the Coordinator of Organizations for the Development of Spain, the Spanish Association for Peace Research (AIPAZ), and the member entities of both coordinators. It was supported by the left-wing SUMAR Group and approved in the Foreign Affairs Commission with the favorable votes of the PSOE, SUMAR, ERC, and Bildu.
The proposal urged the Spanish government to end all arms deals with Israel (both exports and imports) and impose the embargo in the wake of the preliminary conclusions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) about the possibility of war crimes being committed by Israel in Gaza.
The six-point resolution included a demand for a permanent ceasefire with immediate cessation of all hostilities and any action that could lead to further escalation in the area.
It also demanded access to sufficient and sustained humanitarian aid, including essential assistance, supplies and services throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. Major international donors were urged to enable extraordinary financing mechanisms for the humanitarian response.
The Spanish government was urged to work with and push other governments and the international community to engage in a serious and constructive dialogue to find a just, lasting and agreeable solution that grants the same rights to live in freedom and dignity to all people.
In the same vein, it called on the Spanish government to immediately recognise the sovereign state of Palestine.