Spanish PM announces plans to recognize Palestinian state

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will announce on Wednesday that Spain will recognize the state of Palestine. 

Sánchez will make the pronouncement in the Spanish Congress in Madrid, as he confirmed on Saturday in Barcelona, where he participated in a pre-European election campaign.

The leader of the Spanish executive railed against former PM José María Aznar, who some weeks ago denied that the Palestinian state existed. "Of course it will exist," Sánchez said to the applause of Socialist members.

At the end of the Catalan election campaign, Sanchez said that Spain would recognize the Palestinian state "with or without support" from the right.

Thousands demonstrate in Barcelona

Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday afternoon in the center of Barcelona to demand an end to the "genocide" in Gaza.

Local police estimated that 2,600 people took part in the march, while organizers placed the number at 10,000. 

Chanting 'boycott Israel' and 'free Palestine,’ they began their protest at the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Avinguda Diagonal and marched towards the historic building of the University of Barcelona. 

This destination was chosen as a symbol of support to the students who camped out on the university grounds before the election to commemorate the anniversary of the Nakba. 

Indeed, Saturday’s protest also commemorates the 76th anniversary of the Palestinian Catastrophe, and Alys Samson of the platform ‘Enough Complicity With Israel’ made it clear that they will continue to "fill the streets until the genocide ends.” 

Demonstrators also demanded that Spain impose an arms embargo on Israel.

Candidate for Comuns Sumar in the European elections on June 9, Jaume Asens, has called commercial and institutional relations with Israel to be suspended.

"If Israel does not feel that the price it has to pay to stop the war is lower than the price it has to pay to continue, it will not do it. To stop the war machine, it is necessary to suspend institutional and commercial relations with Israel," he warned at the beginning of the demonstration in the Catalan capital.