In order to contribute to the achievement of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Spain has officially recognized the Palestinian state.
Norway and Ireland have done the same. With this decision, more than 140 states out of 193 member states of the United Nations (UN) joined previous decisions.
As Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on May 28, "the recognition of the State of Palestine is not only a matter of historical justice, with the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, but also an imperative to achieve peace."
"It is the only way to achieve the solution that we all recognize as the only one possible to achieve a future of peace - a Palestinian state coexisting with the state of Israel in peace and security," Sanchez said.
This move by the Spanish government, as well as its explanation, raises the question of why Spain hesitates to recognize Kosovo, a country with an Albanian majority that declared independence from Serbia in 2008, after the war and the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999?!
While more than 110 countries have recognized Kosovo's statehood, including most from the EU, as well as the US, Serbia refuses to recognize it, along with Russia and China. Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia have also not yet done so.
"The situation in Palestine is very different"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain told Radio Free Europe (RSE) that Spain's attitude towards Kosovo remains unchanged.
"The situation in Palestine is very different. The recognition of the State of Palestine does not violate the territorial integrity of Israel, because this territory was never legally part of the State of Israel. Spain's decision to recognize the State of Palestine aims to support international law, the principles of the UN Charter and the Resolution of the UN Security Council," said Elena Aljarilla Kortezon, media adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The question of recognition of Kosovo by Spain also appeared during the discussion at the meeting of foreign ministers on May 27 in Brussels, in light of Spain's decision to recognize the state of Palestine.
Sources told RSE that because of this there was an open dispute between parties from Germany and Spain.
While Germany was "very convincing" for the recognition of Kosovo, "Spain was on the defensive, claiming that Kosovo is not on the agenda".
The former ambassador of Spain in Belgrade, Raul Bartolome Molina, stated in 2023 that his country's position is clear: Spain does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, while it supports the EU's attempts to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
"This position has not changed, and it will not change, and all our allies know it very well," Bartolome said on June 30, the day before Spain assumed the presidency of the European Union.
"Spain does not want to give Catalonia more arguments"
The main reason for this is believed to be Spain's stance against the aspirations of its northeastern region, Catalonia, to become independent. This region has had several unsuccessful attempts to separate from Spain, while the official Madrid strongly opposed this move.
"It is clear that Spain does not want to recognize Kosovo, because it would have to accept that the provinces of a state have the right to secede... They do not want to give Catalonia more ammunition or arguments for secession," Eran Fraenkel tells RSE.
Now based in the US, Fraenkel lived for several years in Spain where he worked with the Center for Foreign Affairs in Barcelona as an expert on the Balkans region. He is the author of several publications on the Balkans and the region's relations with the European Union (EU).
Commenting on Spain's recent move to recognize a Palestinian state, Fraenkel says he sees the issue as separate from the possible recognition of Kosovo.
"The historical and political conditions in Kosovo and Palestine are so different that they really cannot be compared," he says.
What does Spain risk by recognizing Palestine or Kosovo?
While he says it could give the Palestinian cause some kind of boost, Fraenkel believes the governments of countries that recognize the state of Palestine "recognize that it's basically a symbolic (gesture)."
"The decision may be well-intentioned that the states want to recognize the Palestinians' right to self-determination (statehood), which everyone agrees on in principle. But no one can agree on how to do this in practice, and as long as there are unresolved issues between Israel and Palestine, operationally ( (practically) the issue of Palestinian citizenship will continue to be delayed," he says.
He believes that there are also some major obstacles in the direction of a two-state solution.
"The recognition of a Palestinian state depends on there being no war, and I am unfortunately pessimistic that it can happen. So let there be no war and let there be a Palestinian agreement on what kind of government they want and where it will be," explains Fraenkel.
Furthermore, Fraenkel believes that the recognition of a Palestinian state will not cause any major consequences for Spain or other countries in their current position in international politics.
"Even if it creates some waves or some bad feelings between Israel and the countries that recognize Palestinian statehood, I don't think it's something that can't be overcome," he says.
Meanwhile, since Spain sees Kosovo as a separatist province, according to Fraenkel, the consequences of possible recognition for Spain are immediate.
"The Catalans (many years ago) wanted to hold a referendum for the declaration of independence. Madrid called this illegal. Given this attitude of Spain towards Catalonia, how would it be possible for them to accept a separatist Republic," adds Fraenkel.
In earlier official statements regarding the possible recognition of Kosovo, official Madrid told RSE that "the issue of the territory of Kosovo should be resolved through a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina."
However, on January 6, Spain recognized the passports of Kosovo, allowing citizens of Kosovo to travel to this country without visas, after the visa regime for Kosovars was abolished on January 1, 2024.
However, the authorities of this country explained to RSE that this does not mean recognition of Kosovo.
The leaders of Kosovo, however, continuously state that they expect a change in the attitude of the unrecognized European states.
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