International

Spain will recognize Palestine as a State in a few weeks even if other countries do not follow it

The Spanish Government will decide in the coming weeks the recognition of Palestine as a State regardless of whether or not other countries may or may not join that decision.

This is assured by sources of the Executive after the series of meetings that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, is holding with other European leaders to analyze the situation in the Middle East, explain their position and try to coordinate actions in that direction.

But whether other countries join Spain’s thesis of already recognizing the Palestinian State or if they do not, the Government has already adopted a political decision and will make that recognition, as Sánchez said, before the end of this semester.

What’s more, the cited sources emphasize that the decision, which recalls that it is endorsed by a proposal approved by Congress in 2014 and has a majority endorsement of Spanish society, will be adopted in weeks more than in months.

Sánchez, who participates this Thursday in the final day of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council, has toured several EU countries to promote the recognition of the Palestinian State and has met in Brussels – on the sidelines of the summit of the Twenty-seven – with the prime ministers of Malta, Robert Abela, and Luxembourg, Luc Frieden.

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With Abela there has been harmony for the recognition of Palestine, since they have ratified the commitment signed by Spain, Malta, Slovenia and Ireland on March 22 to make it a reality.

However, it has not been specified whether they will take the step together or the date for it, since they have limited themselves to emphasizing that it will be done at the time that is considered appropriate.

The situation is different in the case of Luxembourg, because there is more internal division in this regard, and in the meeting there has only been an exchange of views.

The Spanish Government insists that its decision is made regardless of what other countries do, although it would like it to be a coordinated issue.

The Executive is aware that in each country there is a different procedure and in some cases it is necessary for the decision to go through Parliament and in others, as in Spain, it is not.

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Moncloa gives great relevance to the debate that will take place this Thursday in the UN Security Council on the presence of Palestine in the United Nations as a full member, a debate in which the United States is expected to veto that possibility and in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, will intervene in favor.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.