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MIDDLE EAST CRISIS

Spain hosts meeting on Israel-Palestinian two-state solution

Ministers from Muslim and European countries along with the European Union's foreign affairs chief gathered Friday in Madrid to discuss how to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Published: 14 September 2024 09:57 CEST
Spain hosts meeting on Israel-Palestinian two-state solution
Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares addresses a press conference with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi. Photo: Thomas COEX/AFP.

“Together, we want to identify the concrete actions that will enable us to make progress towards this objective,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on social network X.

“The international community must take a decisive step towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” the Socialist premier added.

Sánchez welcomed participants at his official residence before the start of the meeting at the foreign ministry in central Madrid, hosted by his top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares.

“The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to ensure a just and lasting peace in the region through the peaceful and secure coexistence of the state of Palestine and the state of Israel,” Albares told a news conference.

In attendance were Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — all members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza — as well as the heads of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The European Union was represented by its foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell as well as the foreign ministers of Ireland, Norway and Slovenia in addition to Spain.

EU nations have “different positions” on whether to recognise Palestine as a state “but there is undoubtedly unanimity in the union on the need to support the solution based on the construction of the Palestinian state, because the state of Israel already exists,” Borrell told a separate press conference after the end of the meeting.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz blasted Borrell for taking part in the gathering, writing on social network X that “Borrell supports establishing a Palestinian terror state controlled by Iran, and the axis of evil against Israel, moderate Arab states, and Europe.”

“This is Borrell’s legacy –- anti-Semitism and hatred towards Israel,” he added.

‘Tragic dimension’

Asked about Katz’s comments, Borrell said that “accusing those who disagree with a government’s position of anti-Semitism makes no sense.”

“There have unfortunately been examples in history of what it means to be anti-Semitic, and I don’t think we should play with big words that have had a tragic dimension in history,” he added.

Calls for a two-state solution have grown since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.

That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

The militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel has responded with an offensive that has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.

Sánchez has been one of the staunchest critics in Europe of Israel’s Gaza offensive since the start of the conflict.

Under his watch, Spain on May 28 along with Ireland and Norway formally recognised a Palestinian state comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Earlier this month he announced that the first “bilateral summit between Spain and Palestine” would be held before the end of the year. He said he expected “several collaboration agreements between the two states” to be signed.

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PROPERTY

Spain’s plan to limit temporary accommodation rejected

Spain's left-wing government had planned to tighten its grip on temporary accommodation rentals as a potential means of making more long-term rentals available, but the country's right-wing parties on Tuesday rejected the proposal in parliament.

Published: 18 September 2024 11:53 CEST
Spain's plan to limit temporary accommodation rejected

If passed, the new law would have meant that anyone who wanted to temporarily rent a property would have to explain why and provide a valid reason.

For example, students or researchers would have to show the research contract or course booking to show it would only last a few months.

It would have also meant that if more than six months passed or more than two consecutive contracts issued, it will have automatically become a long-term habitual residence instead.

On Tuesday September 17th, the proposal was ultimately rejected in the Spanish Congress, voted against by Spain’s three main right-wing parties – Catalan nationalists Junts, Spain’s main opposition party the PP and far-right Vox.

The aim in part was to try and rectify the controversial Housing Law, which came into effect in 2023.

In most people’s eyes, the legislation has failed as landlords have found several loopholes to get around the restrictions, prices have continued to increase and the stock of rental properties is even more diminished.

READ ALSO: Has Spain’s Housing Law completely failed to control rents?

As a result of the fear of heightened regulation for landlords, many have left the traditional market and turned to tourist rentals or temporary accommodation instead, which are far more lucrative. 

This has had the opposite effect, increasing rental prices instead of stabilising or decreasing them.

READ MORE: Why landlords in Spain leave their flats empty rather than rent long-term

Seasonal contracts and room rentals allow landlords to raise prices every six or nine months and they not subject to the price limitations of the housing law.

The idea of this new law was to try and set the maximum duration of a temporary rental contracts at six months in order to avoid this, but it could have potentially also caused problems for many who need this type accommodation such as students, digital nomads, those living here on a short term basis etc. 

During the debate, Sumar’s spokesperson, Íñigo Errejón, defended the law saying that it is a “solvent”, “fair” and “precise” proposal, which will help “correct an abuse” and “close the gap through which “Landlords can use to avoid the LAU (Urban Leasing Law) and rent regulation”.  

Far-left party Podemos blamed the ruling PSOE for having left this “hole” in the housing law, but also agreed that the restrictions on temporary accommodation were needed to try and rectify this.

READ ALSO: Has Spain’s Housing Law completely failed to control rents?

Junts (Catalonia’s main pro-independence party) and the PNV, the Basque nationalist party, were firmly against it. They agreed that the problem must be solved and that “accessible decent housing was needed”, but raised the situation of students, interns, residents or workers who need housing for flexible periods.

Junts party member Marta Madrenas warned of the harmful effects that this limitation on temporary rentals can have for university cities such as Girona.

Vox and the PP meanwhile argued that they don’t want to help cover up the mistakes made by the left with regards to the Housing Law.

Vox deputy Ignacio Hoces stated that the increase in seasonal rentals has occurred due to the “failure” of the Housing Law, since this has caused rental prices to “skyrocketed” by 13 percent and the supply to be reduced by 15 percent.

Temporary accommodation, referred to as alquiler temporal or alquiler de temporada in Spanish, is considered to be anything that’s longer than a month but shorter than a year, middle ground between short-term and long-term rentals. It is also referred to as monthly accommodation or seasonal accommodation.

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