Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will meet several of his European Union counterparts over the next week to try to garner support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the government has said.

Sanchez’s agenda includes meetings with the prime ministers of Norway, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia and Belgium focusing on the EU’s position regarding the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, government spokesperson Pilar Alegria told reporters.

“We want to stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and help kickstart a political peace process leading to the realization of the two-state solution as early as possible,” Alegria said.

Sanchez has previously said he expects Spain to extend recognition by July and that he believes there would soon be a “critical mass” within the EU to push several members to adopt the same position.

Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia announced last month they would jointly work towards recognition of a Palestinian state.