Alternativas urges Spain to promote “European channels of solidarity and cooperation” with Palestine

Eduardo González The Alternativas Foundation believes that the mobilization of Spanish civil society in denouncing the genocide in Gaza in particular, and its “solidarity with Palestine” in general, is an “added value” that the government should leverage to help build “European channels of solidarity and cooperation between European civil society and Palestine.” Last Thursday, the Alternativas Foundation and Casa Árabe organized the presentation of the report entitled ‘Reconfiguration of the Middle East after the Gaza War,’ which analyzes the new regional balance of power imposed by Israel after the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, the potential effects of the peace plan promoted by US President Donald Trump, and the role that the European Union should play. In this regard, the report highlights the “importance” of the Middle East for the EU as a whole, and for Spain in “particular,” and warns of the “need to link the ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip with the search for a negotiated, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian question by “promoting a two-state solution” where states coexist in peace and security, because otherwise, “we will be condemned to live through an endless cycle of violence, since the violation of Palestinian national rights and the imposition of an apartheid system on its population sow the seeds of future conflicts.” Furthermore, the Alternativas document denounces the EU's marginalization in the Trump Plan, which was negotiated behind its back and without its participation. It argues that the Union must strengthen its role as a political actor and not limit its participation to a humanitarian role, in which support for agencies working on the ground, such as UNRWA and UNICEF, is undoubtedly crucial. In order to reinforce its credibility, the EU, accused of double standards and selective moralism, must emphasize its commitment to international law, international humanitarian law, and the defense of human rights and democratic principles, which it boasts of in its treaties, the report continues. It recommends applying the sanctions measures stipulated in the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Failure to do so, it warns, would erode the EU's role as a normative power in the international arena. On the other hand, Alternativas believes that, despite the EU's absence from the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, it should play an active role in the subsequent process, ensuring its implementation and linking it to a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—the only path to peace and stability in the region. Therefore, the report emphasizes that the EU should participate in the International Peacekeeping Force to monitor peacekeeping and compliance with the ceasefire, as the presence of European troops would have a deterrent effect on Israel, preventing it from launching new offensives against Gaza, as it did in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2023. The EU must commit to strengthening multilateral mechanisms, particularly those of the UN, to ensure compliance with the Trump Plan and link it to a two-state solution, the report continues. To this end, it adds, the EU must “strengthen its collaboration” with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, the three countries that have effectively mediated to secure guarantees from the Trump Administration that they will comply once the hostages are released. The think tank also states that the EU should adopt more forceful measures, given its available instruments of pressure, such as trade in general and the arms trade in particular, to contain Israel’s expansionist and aggressive policies. Spain Regarding Spain, the Fundación Alternativas believes that Pedro Sánchez’s government should maintain and strengthen its proactive foreign policy of “commitment to international law, international humanitarian law, justice, and international peace,” especially in its “traditional areas of action, including the European Union, Latin America, and the Mediterranean.” Furthermore, the mobilization of Spanish civil society in denouncing the genocide in Gaza in particular and its “solidarity with Palestine” in general is an “added value” that should not be underestimated, the report states. Therefore, Spain should foster and facilitate “channels for diverse and pluralistic participation in these demonstrations and actions” and use its own experience to promote this approach in other European societies, where “repudiation of genocide has been criminalized.” In particular, it notes, Spain could contribute to building “European channels of solidarity and cooperation between European civil society and Palestine.”

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