MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has warned that Israel鈥檚 鈥渄isproportionate response鈥� in the Gaza war with Hamas risks 鈥渄estabilizing the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world.鈥�

Sanchez also insisted that the recognition of a Palestinian state, long resisted by Israel and its key allies, is 鈥渋n Europe鈥檚 geopolitical interests.鈥�
Sanchez had already raised the subject of statehood during a visit last week to the Middle East when he said Spain could recognize Palestine as a nation by the end of June.
鈥淭he international community cannot help the Palestinian state if it does not recognize its existence,鈥� Sanchez told lawmakers on Wednesday.
Since the start of the war in Gaza more than six months ago, the socialist premier has pushed for Europe to accord such recognition.

His criticism of the Gaze war has also raised tensions with Israel.
Speaking on Wednesday, Sanchez said Israel鈥檚 鈥渁bsolutely disproportionate response鈥� had 鈥渙verturned decades of humanitarian law and threatened to destabilize the Middle East and, as a consequence, the whole world.鈥�
In February, Sanchez and his Irish counterpart at the time, Leo Varadkar, asked the EU to 鈥渦rgently鈥� examine whether Israel was complying with its human rights obligations in Gaza as laid out in a key accord that links rights to trade ties.
And in November, Israel recalled its Madrid envoy for consultations after expressing fury over Sanchez鈥檚 鈥渙utrageous remarks鈥� in a television interview, in which he expressed 鈥渟erious doubts鈥� over the legality of Israel鈥檚 actions in Gaza.
His remarks were denounced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as 鈥渟hameful,鈥� though the Israeli Ambassador Rodica Radian-Gordon returned to Madrid in January.
Israel was also angered by statements in October and November by radical left-wing ministers in Sanchez鈥檚 coalition government calling for sanctions and an embargo on arms sales to Israel.
While visiting a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan last week, Sanchez hit out at Israel over the drone strike on a humanitarian convoy that killed seven staff members of the NGO World Central Kitchen.
He demanded that Israel clarify 鈥渢he circumstances of this brutal attack.鈥�
Like most other global leaders, Sanchez has called for the implementation of the two-state solution but has also pressed for the world to recognize a Palestinian state, breaking with other Western powers who say this should come only as part of a negotiated peace with Israel.
Last week, Sanchez told reporters traveling with him on his Middle East tour that he hoped Spain would recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of June.
In late March, Sanchez signed a joint statement alongside his Irish, Maltese, and Slovenian counterparts on the sidelines of an EU summit announcing they were ready 鈥渢o recognize Palestine鈥� when 鈥渢he circumstances are right鈥� if that could help resolve the conflict.
Spanish government spokeswoman Pilar Alegria said on Tuesday that starting Thursday, Sanchez is due to visit Poland, Norway, and Ireland before welcoming Portugal鈥檚 leader to discuss the issue again.
In an opinion piece for Madrid鈥檚 Real Instituto Elcano think tank, former Israeli Ambassador Alon Liel said Spain鈥檚 move to recognize a Palestinian state could 鈥渋gnite the momentum that might lead to overall European and UN recognition.鈥�
If so, 鈥淪pain would become a meaningful player toward a new diplomatic momentum for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,鈥� wrote Liel, a former director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
In 2014, the Spanish parliament had called on the right-wing government at the time to recognize a Palestinian state, just a few weeks after Sweden became the first EU member in Western Europe to do so.
Sweden鈥檚 recognition mirrored earlier moves by six other European countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

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