MADRID (Reuters) -Spain signalled support on Wednesday for French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal of an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilise Gaza, calling it “one of the tools” that could bring peace to the region.
Macron said on Monday that such a U.N. mission would be tasked with securing the Gaza Strip, protecting civilians and working in support of unspecified Palestinian governance. He said the U.N. Security Council should work on establishing the mission, while France would also work with its partners.
“The proposal … is one of the tools that can help achieve peace and security in Gaza and the Middle East, as is the work of UNRWA as the U.N. agency for aid to the Palestinian people,” the Spanish ministry said in an emailed reply to questions from Reuters.
“This force must be a step towards building the two-state solution,” it added, referring to the idea of bringing peace through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel in territory Israel captured in a 1967 war.
Spain is a sharp critic of Israel’s widening war in Gaza and last year joined a handful of EU nations in recognising a Palestinian state, a group now joined by France.
By proposing a U.N.-mandated mission in Gaza, Macron is seeking to build on the momentum created by his recognition of a Palestinian state last month, which set off a domino of recognitions, with Britain, Canada and Australia announcing plans to follow suit next month.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry said a temporary U.N. mission could ultimately contribute to a successful transfer of power to a Palestinian state administration and to achieving peace and security for all.
Last week, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, in a move that expanded its military operations in the shattered Palestinian territory and drew strong criticism at home and abroad.
(Reporting by Corina Pons and Andrei Khalip; Editing by David Latona and Alex Richardson)
