The visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday praised Spain's efforts within quarters of the European Union in support of the Palestinian cause namely the aspired settlement to establish two states according to relevant UN resolutions. Abbas, talking to reporters outside the presidential palace in Madrid after meeting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, expressed gratitude to the nation for its recent recognition of the independent State of Palestine. Spain's recognition of the State of Palestine is an evidence of its commitment toward the Palestinian people in their quest to determine their destiny, Abbas said. He also thanked Spain for its bids to halt the war in Gaza and end the Israeli occupation to pave the way for the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Moreover, the Palestinian president said he was thankful of Spain's voting for a non-binding resolution at the UN General Assembly, taken on Wednesday, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and imposing penalties on the occupation entity. Abbas, a main architect of the Oslo peace accords with Israel, recalled Madrid's hosting of the 1991 peace conference. Furthermore, he voiced satsifaction at its support for the complaint that had been filed by South Africa to the Internatonal Court of Justice, holding the occupation government responsible for the genocide in Gaza. "Our priority will remain stopping the aggression on our people, land, sanctities and full withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza Strip," he stated. Source: Kuwait News Agency