Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, greets her supporters after the bicentennial ceremony of the Republic at Zocalo square in Mexico, Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: Alfredo Estrella/AFP)
The new president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, called on Friday for the recognition of two states, Palestine and Israel, in order to achieve peace in the Middle East.
"The Palestinian state must be recognized in its entirety, just like the state of Israel. This has been Mexico's position for many years," she said in her first statement on the matter since taking office on Oct. 1.
During her daily press conference, Mrs. Sheinbaum also condemned the violence in the Middle East and stated that "war will never lead to a good outcome." The left-wing president, who is of European Jewish descent, has declared herself an atheist and had previously criticized an Israeli operation against the Gaza Strip in a public letter in January 2009. Mrs. Sheinbaum recalled that the previous government, led by her mentor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, condemned the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths, as well as the subsequent Israeli bombings on the Gaza Strip, which have killed more than 42,100 people to date according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The Israeli government has extended its military campaign to Lebanon, where the Islamist group Hezbollah is located, which launched operations against Israeli territory in support of Hamas.
