Luis Ayllón
The Spanish government and the Israeli embassy in Madrid yesterday engaged in a diplomatic confrontation, motivated by the position that the most left-wing members of the Executive maintain in relation to Israel’s war against Hamas.
The clash came after the Embassy, headed by Rodica Radian-Gordon, issued a communiqué in the early afternoon in which it described as ‘immoral’ the statements recently made by ‘some members of the Spanish government’ about that country.
The communiqué did not name any of the members of the government, but clearly pointed to the vice-president Yolanda Díaz; the minister for consumer affairs, Alberto Garzón; and, above all, to statements made by the minister for social rights, Ione Belarra. The secretary general of Podemos, present at marches in favour of Palestine, has demanded that the government of Pedro Sánchez take Israel to the International Criminal Court for “war crimes”, has spoken of “genocide” and has stated, among other things, that “using the terrible murders of Israeli civilians by Palestinian armed factions as an excuse to justify Israel’s crimes and the massacre in Gaza is absolutely unacceptable”.
The Embassy “strongly” condemned the statements by these members of the Government and stressed that it is “deeply disturbing that, at a time when Israel is mourning the loss of innocent lives in the barbaric Hamas attack on 7 October, in which more than 1,300 men, women and children were barbarically murdered, and when more than 150 civilians, including children, women and the elderly remain captive to Hamas terrorists in Gaza, certain elements within the Spanish Government have chosen to align themselves with this ISIS-type terrorism”.
After insisting that such statements are “absolutely immoral”, the statement added that they also endanger the security of Jewish communities in Spain, exposing them to the risk of further anti-Semitic incidents and attacks”.
It therefore called on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to “unequivocally denounce and condemn these shameful statements”.
Rejection by the Spanish government
Hours later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a note in which it stated that the Government “categorically” rejected what it described as “falsehoods in the Israeli Embassy’s communiqué about some of its members”, adding that it “does not accept unfounded insinuations about them”.
The Foreign Ministry’s text stressed that “any political leader can freely express positions as a representative of a political party in a full democracy such as Spain”.
In any case,” it emphasised, “the position of the Government of Spain as a whole with respect to the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas is clear: categorical condemnation, demand for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and recognition of Israel’s right to defend itself within the limits set by international law and international humanitarian law”.
It also recalled that the Government as a whole “has repeatedly expressed the need to distinguish the Palestinian population from the Hamas terrorist group, to protect the civilian population of Gaza and the imperative need to maintain the basic supplies indispensable to the well-being of that population”.
It added that “the government as a whole reiterates that the only viable solution to achieve peace and stability in the region is the solution of two states living side by side in peace and security, as endorsed by the United Nations”.
For her part, the minister Ione Belarra responded to the embassy’s criticism on her social network account X, stating: “Your government is carrying out war crimes in the Gaza Strip, massive bombardments, water and electricity cuts, they are not letting in humanitarian aid. Denouncing this genocide is not “aligning with Hamas”, it is a democratic obligation. Silence is complicity with terror”.
Pedro Sánchez’s position
In the morning, the Prime Minister, during the opening session of the Berlin Process leaders’ summit in Tirana, which brought together EU states and those aspiring to join the Union, reiterated his ‘condemnation of Hamas’s attack on Israel’ and assured that ‘Israel has the legitimate right to defend itself within international law and humanitarian law’.
At the same time, he warned that ‘the protection of civilians is essential, as well as access for international aid for those in need, especially in the Gaza Strip’, and insisted (in line with Spain’s traditional position on the Middle East) that ‘the only way to definitively resolve the conflict is the recognition of the two states, so that they can coexist in peace and security’.
Sánchez’s statements perfectly summarise the “common position” agreed on Sunday by the European Council, in which the 27 EU leaders condemned “with the utmost firmness Hamas and the brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks that this organisation has committed in different parts of Israel” and stressed “firmly the right of Israel to defend itself, in accordance with international and humanitarian law”.
They also reiterated “the importance of the protection of all civilians at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law”, called “on Hamas to release all hostages immediately and without preconditions” and expressed their “readiness to continue to support civilians in Gaza who are most in need, in coordination with our partners, ensuring that such assistance is not abused by terrorist organisations”.
