Albares says that “no country has done as much as Spain for peace in the Middle East” and announces four million for UNRWA

Eduardo González The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured this Thursday before the Congress that “no country has done as much as Spain for peace in the Middle East”, he announced a new contribution of four million euros for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and he wanted to make it “clear”, in the face of “misinformation”, that “Spain does not sell weapons to Israel” because the region “does not need weapons, it needs peace”. “The foreign policy of Spain at this time defends the same thing in kyiv, in Gaza and in Beirut: the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, International Humanitarian Law, the protection of civilians, the rejection of unjust and illegal wars”, Albares assured during his appearance before the plenary session of the Chamber, at his own request and that of the Mixed and Republican Groups, to report on Spain's initiatives for peace in the Middle East. “I will say it clearly: no country has done as much as Spain for peace in the Middle East”, he continued. “We have done so in all areas: with political and diplomatic initiatives, with initiatives to stop the war and achieve peace, with actions to fight against impunity and defend international law, with commitment and action in humanitarian aid.” For this reason, Albares asked the parliamentary groups “for the honesty to recognise that Spain is doing more than any other State to stop the war in Lebanon, in Gaza, in the Middle East, and to protect civilians”, because “this is what all the countries in the region are doing, and they have repeatedly expressed their gratitude for Spain’s position and leadership.” According to Albares, Spain has “firmly condemned the Israeli bombings of Gaza and Lebanon and the violence in the West Bank”, just as it has “condemned the terrorist attacks by Hamas and the launching of missiles by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel”. “The Middle East needs peace and needs security” and, for this reason, “we repeatedly ask in all international forums for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, the massive entry of humanitarian aid for the civilian population, the unconditional release of all hostages and a future of peace that involves the implementation of the two-state solution,” he said. “In the face of the misinformation that I read and hear, I want to make it clear that Spain does not sell weapons to Israel. The Middle East does not need weapons, it needs peace,” Albares said. “For this reason, and I am very firm in this, since October 7, 2023, Spain does not grant new licenses for the export of weapons to Israel and we monitor previous ones so that no sales take place. In addition, we do not authorize ships carrying weapons destined for Israel to stop at our ports. I repeat, Spain neither sells nor authorizes the transit of weapons with Israel as their final destination,” he insisted. Aid to the ICC and the Palestinian Authority The minister reviewed several initiatives of the Spanish Government regarding the Middle East, such as the imposition of sanctions on settlers who exercise violence in the West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population, their promotion within the framework of the European Union and the support for “all the packages of sanctions against the terrorist organization Hamas”. He also recalled the declaration of intervention presented in June by Spain in the procedure initiated by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and assured that Spain supports the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its competence “in the issuance of international arrest warrants. “Spain supports the work of the Court and is committed to international justice, and that is why today I announce to you that we have just approved an additional contribution of 1.6 million euros to reinforce its work. With this, since last year our country will have allocated more than eight million to the International Criminal Court, which places us among the top ten contributors to this organization. Today, I would like all groups to support us in these legal actions. On November 21, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the context of the offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Foreign Ministry sources have assured that “Spain respects the ICC decision and will comply with its commitments and obligations in relation to the Rome Statute and International Law,” which would imply a possible arrest of Netanyahu if he were to set foot on Spanish soil. Albares also recalled the more than 50 million euros provided by the Government in 2023, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECID), for cooperation and humanitarian action for Palestine, “tripling the figure from the previous year”. “By 2024, our aid will be at similar levels,” he said. He also reported that, during the recent Spain-Palestine intergovernmental meeting, a bilateral cooperation strategy was adopted “for which we plan to mobilize at least 75 million euros in two years, focused on the construction of the State of Palestine by supporting the Palestinian Authority and on the recovery of the country from the effects of the conflict”. Four million more for UNRWA The minister reiterated the Government's commitment to UNRWA and took advantage of his speech to announce that "Spain will contribute four million more euros to UNRWA" because "its defence is the defence not only of the dignity and rights of Palestinian refugees recognised in various resolutions of the General Assembly, but also of international law and of the United Nations." On the other hand, Albares warned that "we must also firmly condemn the temptation of anti-Semitism, and I hope that everyone here does so today," because "the Government of Israel, the State of Israel and the people of Israel are not the same." In the same way, he continued, "we must reject with equal firmness the temptation of Islamophobia and racism" because "Hamas, the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian people are not the same." "I hope that everyone here does so today," he insisted. Criticism from the opposition During his turn to respond, Carlos Floriano (PP) denounced that the “diplomatic clumsiness” of Pedro Sánchez’s government in recognising the Palestinian State “has been a resounding failure” and has seriously compromised Spain’s “capacity for mediation” with Israel, as well as “Sánchez’s statements in Rafah” (in reference to the head of the Executive’s visit to the region last year, in which he called for a ceasefire in Gaza). “In Israel they don’t want to see us because they understand that the government has taken sides against Israel, and it is one of the necessary interlocutors for peace,” he said. Agustín Santos, from Sumar (minority partner in the coalition government and led by the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz), described Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip as “genocide”. For his part, Javier Sánchez Serna, from Podemos, accused the Foreign Minister of not having presented effective measures to Congress and insisted on his party's request for Spain to break diplomatic and commercial relations with Israel. Carlos Flores Juberías, from the far-right party Vox, accused the Government of having put Spain in “the golden book of anti-Semitism” with the recognition of Palestine alongside “Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Armenia, beautiful places, but whose relevance is not that of Germany or France”. “Do not join the chorus of those who rejoice at the arrest warrant from The Hague. Join the list of presidents, starting with Joe Biden (president of the US), who has said that the court's decision was scandalous,” he added.

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