<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, asserted this Thursday, in response to the accusations made by the members of the Flotilla against the Spanish authorities, that "the Government has been with them from the first minute" and has "reinforced their protection by sending a presence of our Armed Forces."</strong></h4> "This morning we were able to sleep a lot. We were obviously very attentive to what was happening to the Flotilla upon its arrival on the Gazan coast," Sánchez declared upon his arrival at the 7th meeting of the European Political Community, held in Copenhagen. The Prime Minister made these statements hours after the Israeli Army intercepted at least thirteen boats from the humanitarian mission, carrying around thirty Spaniards, including former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau. “We have been in constant contact with them, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs,” José Manuel Albares, has said, and “we have also conveyed to the Israeli government that it is necessary for them to protect the rights of not only our compatriots, but also all the members of the flotilla,” he continued. “Of course, from Spain, we will guarantee this diplomatic protection and, without a doubt, the protection of any rights that may be undermined by the actions of the Israeli government,” he stated. Regarding possible government action against Israel for the violation of international law denounced by Sumar, the Cabinet's junior partner, Sánchez specified that the Executive will “study all aspects of this issue,” but “for us right now, the most important thing is the safety of our compatriots and their ability to return home soon, to their home, to Spain, and from there, obviously, we will consider any type of action.” Regarding the accusations leveled by the flotilla members against Spain for abandoning them to their fate in the face of Israel, Pedro Sánchez stated that "the Government, of course, has been with them from the very beginning." "We have been in constant contact with them, and we have also reinforced their protection by sending a presence of our armed forces, specifically for humanitarian aid and also for a potential rescue operation." <h5><strong>Flotilla accusations</strong></h5> Early on Wednesday, the Government "strongly" recommended that the flotilla members not enter the exclusion zone designated by the Israeli Army, because it "would severely endanger their own safety." It also warned that the Spanish Navy ship "Furor," sent to assist with the humanitarian mission, would not enter the zone because it "would put the physical integrity of its crew and the flotilla itself at risk." These recommendations were harshly criticized by the flotilla's press office. “While the Israeli Navy announces that it will impose a 120-nautical-mile exclusion zone, a de facto occupation of the eastern Mediterranean, the government simply asks the crew of the Global Sumud Flotilla to abandon their mission and refuses to offer them the necessary protection to reach Gaza via a frigate whose actual distance from the flotilla is unknown.” “Accepting this threat of an assault on a peaceful and humanitarian action as normal means endorsing Israel's impunity and silencing denunciations of genocide,” he continued. “By action and omission, the Spanish government becomes complicit in whatever may happen,” he warned. “After having supported Trump's neocolonial plan, it is once again aligning itself with the State of Israel instead of defending international law and the lives of those trying to break an illegal blockade,” he concluded. <h5><strong>Sumar</strong></h5> The ministers of Sumar, the minority party in Sánchez's coalition government, have once again spoken out about these events. Second Vice President Yolanda Díaz has called for the "immediate release" of all the Flotilla activists and demanded that the European Union "once and for all" sever trade relations with Israel. "Benjamin Netanyahu will not get his way. History has shown us that international law always prevails over war crimes," and, on this occasion, he has once again "crossed a red line of international law," she declared during an event in Madrid. The Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, denounced that the Spanish government or any other European government "has done enough" to prevent the "regrettable outcome" of the Flotilla and has once again called for the severing of diplomatic and economic relations with Israel. SUMAR spokesperson and Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, accused Israel of "piracy" and called on the Prosecutor's Office to act ex officio to defend the rights of the detained Spanish citizens. "The Flotilla's mission is fully protected by international law," he warned. "Any personal or material damage that may have occurred as a result of the attack will be liable to prosecution as a war crime before the International Criminal Court," he added. <h5><strong>The Prosecutor's Office</strong></h5> Specifically, the Prosecutor's Office announced in a statement that it has included the attack on the Flotilla in its investigation into international crimes committed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, for which it has decided to "gather information on the circumstances of the interception of some twenty vessels of the so-called 'Freedom Flotilla' as they headed to Gaza." "Information has been requested regarding the flag of the affected vessels, the maritime coordinates at which the interception took place, the nationality of the persons traveling on board said vessels, the nature of the shipment, its cargo, and any possible consular assistance provided to Spanish citizens," he explained. This decision "was made within the framework of the investigation opened by the Prosecutor's Office on September 18th to preserve sources of evidence and cooperate with international tribunals in their proceedings regarding possible violations of international human rights law perpetrated by the Israeli Army in Gaza," he added. The more than 40 ships in the flotilla, with around 500 people on board, including dozens of Spaniards, were attacked by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in waters where they "have no jurisdiction," using "contaminated" water cannons and "systematically" blocking the ships' communications, according to reports from the organizers of the humanitarian mission early this morning. They have called for the international community to mobilize to denounce these "new acts of aggression against unarmed civilians."
