The Diplomat
Israel’s ambassador to Spain, Rodica Radian-Gordon, yesterday called on the Spanish authorities to act now to halt what she described as a “wave of anti-Semitism” in our country.
She did so during a reception to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the State of Israel, and, at the same time, to say goodbye to the Spanish people, as she is stepping down as ambassador after almost five years in our country.
The reception was attended by the Nuncio of His Holiness, Monsignor Bernardito Auza; the vast majority of the ambassadors of European Union countries; quite a few Americans and some Asians, along with representatives of the business world and other sectors of Spanish society, and members of the Jewish Community in Spain.
Likewise, on behalf of the Spanish Government, Emma Aparici, Secretary General of Foreign Affairs of the Presidency of the Government, was present; and the general director for the Maghreb, Mediterranean and Middle East, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carmen Magariños Also in attendance were the diplomat Ildefonso Castro, the main advisor to the President of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, on international affairs, and the Popular MEP, Antonio López Istúriz.
After the Spanish and Israeli anthems and the song Habaita, with which Israel calls for the release of the hostages still held hostage by Hamas, and which was performed by the Jewish Community Choir, the ambassador gave a speech, which began by thanking the Spanish public for giving the Israeli Eurovision singer, Eden Golan, the highest possible score -12 points-, which she considered a form of solidarity, in a year like the current one.
Rodica Radian-Gordon described the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October as the “most atrocious terrorist attack” and recalled that two Spaniards were among those killed in the attack.
The ambassador affirmed that Hamas, which she accused of hiding behind Palestinian citizens, can never be part of the solution to the conflict, and pointed out that all possible solutions will have to be negotiated with an entity other than Hamas that agrees to live in peace with Israel. For this reason, he rejected the initiative of unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state, although he never mentioned Spain, which is one of the countries that is promoting it.
Afterwards, Rodica Radian-Gordon stated that “unfortunately, since 7 October, we have been experiencing in Spain, as in other Western countries, an unprecedented wave of anti-Semitism, the aim of which is to delegitimise the existence of Israel as a democratic Jewish state. The intensity of the anti-Semitic wave in Spain is growing stronger every day”.
The ambassador pointed out that, since last Monday alone, the following could be highlighted: “aggressions and intimidation of Jewish students at university; the multiplication of encampments and other initiatives on university campuses; the intimidating letter to Spanish businessmen in Israel; the series of activities at the Reina Sofia Museum, with a title taken from the anti-Semitic propaganda of Palestinian movements, which denies the existence of the State of Israel; and the proliferation of anti-Semitic writings in the media”.
He then recalled that “Spain, like the other members of the European Union, has committed itself to combating all forms of anti-Semitism, through a national plan launched at the beginning of 2023”. He emphasised: “It is time for the Spanish authorities, at all levels, to assume their obligation to prevent and combat anti-Semitism firmly, by implementing this plan and fighting against all forms of hatred”.
In particular, she pointed out that “institutions such as the Centro Sefarad Israel, which represents Spain in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, have an important role to play”.
The ambassador reviewed the work carried out during her stay in Spain, indicating that she placed emphasis on technological and scientific cooperation. She recalled that the common past is present in bilateral relations and expressed her hope that cultural exchanges will be resumed once the war is over.
Finally, she said she felt honoured to have represented Israel in Spain, and expressed her confidence that relations would continue to progress, “after overcoming the tense moments”.
Rodica Radian-Gordon will leave her post at the beginning of the summer and will be replaced by Zvi Vapni, until now Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Office of the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog.
