Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned on Wednesday that what he called Israel's "disproportionate response" in the Gaza war with Hamas risks "destabilizing the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world", AFP reported.
Sanchez also insisted that the recognition of a Palestinian state is "in Europe's geopolitical interests".
"The international community cannot help the Palestinian state if it does not recognize its existence," Sanchez told lawmakers Wednesday.
Sanchez also said that Israel's "absolutely disproportionate response" had "overturned decades of humanitarian law and threatened to destabilize the Middle East and, as a consequence, the whole world".
His comments come a week after he said that his country will recognize Palestinian statehood by July.
Sanchez, together with the leaders of Ireland, Malta and Slovenia, announced last month they had agreed to "take the first steps" towards recognizing a Palestinian state.
In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry told the four countries that their plan constituted a "prize for terrorism" that would reduce the chances of a negotiated resolution to the Gaza conflict.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has long urged countries to recognize “Palestine” as a means of bypassing direct talks with Israel.
While several European countries have recognized “Palestine” in recent years, those moves were symbolic ones that have little, if any, actual diplomatic effect.
Sanchez has been a major critic of Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, which began after Hamas’ deadly October 7 attacks.
In November, Spain’s Ambassador to Israel was summoned by the Foreign Ministry after Sanchez claimed that "Israel is violating international law and is carrying out indiscriminate killings in Gaza."