Foreign Ministry summons Israeli chargé d’affaires over “unacceptable aggression” against Colau and Asens

Eduardo González The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Madrid to deliver a complaint for “the unacceptable aggression” that members of an international delegation in the West Bank were subjected to, which included former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau and MEP Jaume Asens. The incidents occurred last Tuesday, when members of the Israeli Army dispersed an international delegation in the West Bank that included Colau and Asens. In statements to the Europa Press agency, an Israeli Army spokesman, Roni Kaplan, attributed this incident to “incitement” by members of the delegation. According to the military spokesman, the Army acted in this way after receiving a “first warning” about the presence of “dozens” of people who had gone to the area to pick olives without prior authorization from the Israeli forces. The group left the area after talking to the military, but “several hours later” a second gathering took place at the same point, after which “the rioters were again asked to leave.” The members of the delegation did not leave the area and the Israeli military resorted to the usual “dispersal protocol.” “The Israeli army has fired tear gas at our human rights delegation while we were accompanying Palestinians in the olive harvest,” Asens denounced through the social network X. Official sources from Foreign Ministry informed The Diplomat on Thursday that the Ministry had summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires in Spain for this Wednesday “in protest against the unacceptable tear gas attack suffered by the international delegation in the West Bank, which included the former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau and the MEP Jaume Asens.” During the meeting, the Ministry gave the chargé d'affaires a verbal note. “Israel has the obligation to respect the rights of the Palestinian population and should not prevent the presence of international observers in the occupied territories,” the same sources added. “We thank (the Minister of Foreign Affairs) José Manuel Albares for his response to the attack suffered by the international delegation in the West Bank,” declared Asens, from Sumar, through the same social network. “It is an important gesture but it is not enough,” he warned. “Mr. Minister, do something more. Suspend trade relations, approve a formal arms embargo, as demanded by international human rights organizations,” he concluded.

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