<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The President of the Government Pedro Sánchez warned this Monday that, just as Russia cannot participate in Eurovision because of the invasion of Ukraine, Israel "shouldn't either" because of the offensive in the Gaza Strip.</strong></h4> "Spain's commitment to international law and human rights must be constant and coherent, also from Europe," Sánchez declared during the closing ceremony of the presentation of the Cotec Foundation's report "The Cultural and Creative Sectors in Spain" in Madrid, which was attended by, among others, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. According to Sánchez, "no one threw up their hands" three years ago, when demands were made for Russia's withdrawal from international competitions after the invasion of Ukraine, including its participation in Eurovision, as "we saw this past weekend." "And, therefore, neither should Israel, because what we cannot allow are double standards even in culture," he warned. Sánchez's words come after the controversy that arose during the Eurovision Song Contest, when the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) reprimanded RTVE for comments it had made two days earlier about the conflict in Gaza and warned it of possible sanctions if it continued in that vein. The problem worsened during the live broadcast of the contest, in which Spanish public television presenters offered words of solidarity with Palestine that did provoke a protest from the Israeli government. In February 2022, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) banned Russia from participating in Eurovision because it would "discredit" the contest following its invasion of Ukraine. The day after the contest, the Israeli Minister of Diaspora and the Fight against Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, referred to the twelve points (the maximum possible score) awarded to the Israeli song in Spain through the popular televote, writing on the social network X, To Pedro Sánchez: "It seems the Spanish people have spoken, and we have heard the slap in the face here in Jerusalem." <span class="ryNqvb">Last Thursday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Spanish ambassador in Tel Aviv, Ana María Salomón Pérez, to express its complaint about Pedro Sánchez's remarks during last week's Congressional oversight session. In this statement, he stated, in response to a question from the ERC (Republican Revolutionary Party) about arms sales to Israel, that Spain does not trade "with a genocidal state."</span> <div class="NWlwsb" dir="ltr"> <div class="WtlSJf Qbfsob KKjvXb" data-alternative-index="0"> <div class="Z5VkA">For his part, Albares condemned the deaths of more than 200 people in Gaza as a result of recent attacks and demanded an immediate and definitive cessation of hostilities. “The deaths of more than 200 people in Gaza as a result of the recent attacks in recent days are absolutely unacceptable,” he wrote on social media. “The situation in the Strip is critical, devastating, and profoundly inhumane,” he stated.</div> </div> </div> “I firmly condemn the escalation of violence,” he continued. “I demand an immediate and definitive cessation of hostilities. The Palestinian people have the right to live in peace and hope,” he added. “Spain's foreign policy works for the implementation of the two-state solution as the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace,” he concluded. Meanwhile, Lara Hernández, the general coordinator of Sumar (a minority partner in the coalition government), expressed her support for Sánchez's remarks regarding Eurovision on Monday. In her opinion, given the "hypocrisy" prevailing in the EU regarding Gaza, Spain has "a political and ethical obligation" to go further and sever diplomatic and trade relations with Israel. For his part, Vox leader Santiago Abascal called Sánchez "miserable, cruel, and morally corrupt" for his remarks and accused him of "rewarding Hamas, which is the one that has brought destruction and horror to the entire region."
