Sánchez proposes sending "peacekeeping" troops to Palestine as well.
The Spanish president says he will propose it in Congress when the "opportunity" arises, in parallel with the deployment of soldiers to Ukraine.
BarcelonaBeset by legal cases implicating the PSOE and struggling to maintain the legislature, Pedro Sánchez has opted to strengthen Spain's international role at a time of global upheaval. After positioning himself as a prominent voice against the illegal US attack in Venezuelaand to reject Donald Trump's threats in Greenland, the socialist leader opened the door this Tuesday to sending troops to Ukraine once the ceasefire with Russia is in place. And this Thursday he stated that, when the time comes, he will propose deploying troops to Palestine as well.
"I will propose to Congress, when this opportunity arises, that we deploy peacekeeping troops to Palestine," he said in remarks made on the sidelines of the Conference of Ambassadors being held in Madrid. The objective, he said, would be to contribute to the "peacemaking" efforts and the path toward the recognition of the Israeli and Palestinian states, which must be—he said—"independent, viable, and secure." A vision that clashes with Tel Aviv's outright rejection, backed by Washington.
"Spain must actively participate in rebuilding Palestinian hope," he emphasized, adding that eventual peace in Gaza and the West Bank "cannot be a mere interlude in a land martyred by war." Sánchez, in fact, has made it clear that the current situation in the Gaza Strip, with repeated breaches of the ceasefire by Israel and constant killings, remains "intolerable." "Peace demands the immediate implementation of the two-state solution, access for humanitarian aid, and compliance with the Sharm el-Sheikh agreements," where the peace accords were signed. President Donald Trump's plan for the future of Gaza.
This 20-point plan included the creation of a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to be deployed in Gaza in coordination with Palestinian police forces, Israel, and Egypt. Sánchez participated in the signing ceremony of Trump's plan in Sharm el-Sheikh in October and at that time opened the door to sending troops to the Gaza Strip to guarantee peace. This Thursday he confirmed that, when the time comes, he will formally bring the proposal to Congress.
The round of talks in Congress
Sánchez, therefore, has included the same formula in the announcement regarding the deployment of troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, but in Palestine. The Spanish president is scheduled to begin a round of talks with parliamentary groups on Monday to present his plan, but it is unclear what level of support he will receive. Given that the Spanish government itself has admitted it cannot provide a detailed plan, as it is only an initial proposal, it remains to be seen how its partners, mostly on the left and always reluctant to militarize, will react. For now, the coalition partner, Sumar, has requested that any support be under the auspices of the United Nations. The People's Party (PP) has also not shown itself willing to close ranks with Sánchez on this issue: on Wednesday, PP leader Juan Bravo declined to take a position until the details of the peace agreements and the conditions of the proposed mission were known. "The important thing is not whether the PP will support it; Sánchez's partners are others," he said, acknowledging the division within the plurinational majority on this matter.