Spain rejects Israel’s suggestion it should accept Palestinians from Gaza
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Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said "Gazans' land is Gaza' and that the strip must be a part of the future Palestinian state.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MADRID - Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Feb 6 rejected the suggestion by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz that Spain should accept displaced Palestinians from Gaza.
“Gazans’ land is Gaza and Gaza must be part of the future Palestinian state,” Mr Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio station RNE.
Mr Katz ordered the army on Feb 6 to prepare a plan to allow the “voluntary departure” of residents from the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported.
The instruction followed United States President Donald Trump’s shock announcement that the US plans to take over Gaza, resettle the Palestinians living there and transform the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Mr Katz said that Spain, Ireland and Norway – all three nations in 2024 recognised the Palestinian state – are “legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories”. REUTERS
