Sánchez and Albares reject Netanyahu’s request to Guterres to withdraw UNIFIL from Lebanon

Eduardo González Both Spain and the EU have rejected this Monday the message conveyed this Sunday by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, in which he demands the withdrawal of the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) because he considers that its troops have become “human shields” for the Shiite militias of Hezbollah. “We condemn, as it cannot be otherwise, and we will continue to condemn in a resounding way the declaration that Prime Minister Netanyahu made yesterday, because there will be no withdrawal of UNIFIL and because our commitment to international legality in the terms established in Resolution 1701 makes more sense today than ever after seeing what is happening on the ground,” declared this Monday the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech at the ‘World In Progress Barcelona’ forum, organized by the PRISA Group. “I also hope that the rest of the countries in our environment do the same, because I think it is time for the international community to wake up, for us to act decisively, with enormous empathy with the Israeli population for what it has suffered, but also decisively against a Government and against a Prime Minister, in this case Netanyahu, who has only one aim, and that is to impose a new regional order by force,” he continued. “A new regional order by force will only bring more disorder and destruction in the Middle East and, consequently, more instability in the world,” Sánchez warned, declaring that “it is essential that the world does not look away from this conflict” and called on the international community to reinforce its support for the United Nations and immediately suspend the shipment of weapons to Israel. For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, warned in Luxembourg, upon his arrival at the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), that “only the UN Security Council can agree to the withdrawal of UNIFIL, which continues to fulfill its mission and occupy important positions so that a greater conflict does not occur.” He also warned that Israel's armed attacks against UNIFIL are “unacceptable” and represent “the opposite of what we expect from a member state of the United Nations.” “On the part of Spain, support for UNIFIL and the Secretary of the United Nations is total,” he said. For her part, the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, said in statements to journalists that Spain is not considering withdrawing its UNIFIL troops, and considered that Netanyahu's complaint that their presence in southern Lebanon makes them "human shields" for Hezbollah, "is a very clear pretext on the part of Netanyahu." In the same sense, the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, Josep Borrell, warned upon his arrival at the FAC that “it is not the Secretary General of the United Nations who decides whether this mission stays or not, it is the Security Council that has to make this type of decision.” “Therefore, stop blaming Secretary-General António Guterres, because it is the Security Council that makes these kinds of decisions, not him personally,” he insisted. Borrell also announced that, yesterday Sunday evening and “after hours of discussions,” the 27 Member States agreed on a Declaration of support for UNIFIL in which Israel is required to “stop attacking” the mission. “Many European Member States participate in this mission, their work is very important” and, therefore, “it is completely unacceptable to attack United Nations troops,” he declared. In addition, at the FAC meeting held in Luxembourg on Monday, the ministers also expressed their concern over recent incidents by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against UNIFIL, which constitute “a serious violation of international law, are totally unacceptable and must cease immediately.” Last week, Spain condemned the two attacks carried out by Israel against the UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqura in just 48 hours, which caused four injuries among the members of the mission, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Madrid last Friday to convey its complaint on this matter. and Israel's recent comments on Spain and the Spanish people. Spain has been participating in the mission since 2006 with some 650 soldiers integrated into Operation Libre Hidalgo, most of them stationed in Marjayoun, in the southeast of Lebanon. Since 2022, Spanish Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro has been in command of the international contingent, in which more than 10,500 blue helmets from 40 countries are deployed.

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