<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Spanish government has officially informed the Israeli authorities that it is willing to "pay for the trip or send a plane to repatriate" the Spanish members of the Global Sumud Flotilla who "voluntarily wish to do so," according to Foreign Affairs sources reported this Saturday.</strong></h4> According to the sources, the Spanish consul in Tel Aviv is in contact with the Flotilla lawyer who represents them on the ground. He was also able to meet with the Flotilla members on Friday and intends to do so again this Sunday and "every day, until they are all free." The Foreign Affairs Ministry has offered two phone lines for family members: the crisis room phone number, +34 91 000 1249, and the Tel Aviv consular emergency phone number, +972(0)505772641. Likewise, "it has been officially communicated to the Israeli authorities that the Spanish government is willing to pay for the trip or send a plane to repatriate our citizens who voluntarily wish to do so," they added. Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry sources have reported that the Minister, José Manuel Albares, is monitoring the situation of the Spanish citizens on the flotilla and "is personally issuing instructions from the outset to defend their rights, so that they can regain their freedom and return to Spain as soon as possible." To this end, they specified, he has organized a monitoring unit that will report to him several times a day. Furthermore, "he is in direct contact with the Consul in Tel Aviv and has spoken with the foreign ministers of various countries with nationals on the flotilla and has asked the High Representative to take a stand in favor of the European citizens." "He is also in contact with representatives of the families and members of the flotilla and with those political leaders who have contacted him regarding this matter," they added. The more than 40 ships that made up the flotilla, with 500 people on board, including dozens of Spaniards, were attacked Wednesday night by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the exclusion zone imposed by Benjamin Netanyahu's government in international waters, as they were heading to the Gaza Strip to attempt to overcome the Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid. That same night, the Spanish Embassy in Tel Aviv contacted both the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the EU Delegation in the Israeli capital to "inquire specifically about the detained Spanish citizens," according to Foreign Affairs sources. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also launched a permanent monitoring unit and activated the Spanish consulates in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Nicosia to provide them with "full diplomatic and consular protection." "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish Embassy in Israel, and the consulates in the region are mobilized to provide full diplomatic and consular protection to our citizens. Their physical integrity and rights must be respected," wrote Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on social media. On Thursday, José Manuel Albares reiterated that the detained Spaniards enjoy the Ministry's "full diplomatic protection" and, at this time, "the urgent need is for them to regain their freedom and return to Spain immediately." Likewise, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared on Thursday that the government will "guarantee this diplomatic protection and, without a doubt, the protection of rights that may be undermined by the actions of the Israeli government." Regarding possible government action against Israel for the violation of international law denounced by the Cabinet's minority partner, Sumar, Sánchez specified that the executive branch 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, we will obviously consider any type of action." Everything indicates, therefore, that the government has chosen to prioritize the situation of the detained Spaniards and, in the meantime, to relegate any political or judicial action against Israel for the violation of international law or other possible crimes arising from the assault on the Flotilla. The Prosecutor's Office 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 surrounding the interception of some twenty vessels of the so-called 'Freedom Flotilla.'"
