International

What does it mean to recognize a new state?

The announcement of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, that Spain will recognize Palestine as a State on the 28th fulfills a political promise, although it does not clear up some questions about the practical consequences that the mandate will have.

The coalition government of PSOE and Sumar pledged to approve it, in line with the non-legislative proposal agreed in Congress in 2014 by most political groups, including the PP.

The situation in Palestine after the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel and the response of this country’s army in the Gaza Strip, which has caused more than 35,000 deaths, pushed the Sánchez Government to take the definitive step in order to press for a solution to the Middle East conflict.

The step of recognizing a State is a legal act regulated by International Law. It depends exclusively on the Government’s agreement, without the need to have the support of Parliament, although it may ask for it.

It is a unilateral decision and does not depend, in the case of Spain, whether or not it has the approval of the EU, which does not have competence in the area of recognition of States.

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Of the 193 members of the United Nations, just over 140 recognize it as a State, which will be joined by Spain, Norway and Ireland on the 28th.

There are eight other EU members who have already taken the step, such as Sweden, Romania or Poland, but they have not made important partners such as Germany, France or Italy.

On April 10, 143 countries asked the UN General Assembly to endorse Palestine as a full-fledged state, but this decision must have the approval of the Security Council and the United States opposes it.

Recognizing a new State requires that there be a defined population, a delimited territory and a government that exercises authority over it. “In the case of Palestine, no assumption is now fulfilled because there are no internationally established borders,” the professor of Public International Law at the UNED, Eduardo Trillo, points out to EFE.

Similarly, Trillo points out, there is no government that has control over the entire Palestinian territory – the West Bank and the Gaza Strip -, since the first is exercised by the Palestinian National Authority (ANP) and in the second, Hamas had it until the war with Israel and is a faction that Spain does not consider an interlocutor.

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According to Trillo, it is not something that Spain has to specify, because Palestine lacks defined limits according to international law. Therefore, the UNED professor adds, more than at the legal level, recognition should be interpreted as “a political push to the peace process and a support for the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people.”

Spain can from now on formalize political relations with Palestine and sign international treaties, among other initiatives. So far, Spain has signed a memorandum of understanding of cooperation since 1994 channeling humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people and another for the establishment of political consultations since 2012.

It is a discretionary measure of the Government, according to the professor of International Relations at the European University, Beatriz Gutiérrez. Today, it is the Consulate General of Spain, located in Jerusalem, that acts as an “embassy” and channels the relationship with the ANP.

Among the questions, Gutiérrez adds, is whether Spain would take the step of recognizing Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, something it has not done so far.

The ANP has an office in Madrid, which since 2010 has had the rank of diplomatic mission – previously it was a “delegation” – and its premises have inviolability.

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The head of the office acts as ambassador in practice and participates in the king’s receptions to the diplomatic corps. On its website, there is talk of “The Embassy of Palestine in Spain.”

The war conflict between Israel and Hamas makes it difficult to give content to the state recognition of Palestine. “Until the war is over, it is difficult to make a perspective of the practical effects. It is too early to see how it will be managed,” says the professor of the European University, who agrees that the measure adopted by Spain should be seen, above all, from “a symbolic rather than a legal point of view.”

South Sudan was the last country that Spain gave its endorsement in 2011, after almost all the citizens of this territory supported the separation of the north from the country in a referendum.

In the 21st century, Spain has recognized two other countries: Montenegro, in 2006, and East Timor, in 2002.

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International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

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Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

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Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

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International

Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.

The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.

In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.

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Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.

Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.

Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.

The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.