Eduardo González
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, held meetings yesterday with the Israeli ambassador to Spain, Rodica Radian-Gordon, and with the Palestinian ambassador, Husni Abdelwahad, to evaluate the situation in the Middle East. This is the minister’s first meeting with the Israeli ambassador since she returned to Spain on January 9, when it concluded the period of call for consultations by the Government of Benjamin Netayahu.
During the two meetings, as reported by the Ministry in a press release, Albares reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid, underlining his concern about the critical situation in Rafah. The minister also stressed Spain’s commitment to moving towards peace in the region based on the application of the two-state solution.
The two meetings, according to the Ministry, have given “continuity to the trips that the Foreign Minister is making in the region.” Specifically, both meetings took place after Albares’ tour of the Gulf last week, in which he held meetings at the highest level in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and after his visits to Lebanon and Iraq at the end of last month.
The Israeli ambassador returned to Spain on January 9, ending the period of call for consultations by the Government of Benjamin Netayahu, which began on November 30 in protest against statements by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, in which he questioned whether Israel was respecting International Law in its offensive in Gaza to respond to the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7.
Albares already met with Rodica Radian-Gordon at the end of November, when she was summoned by the Spanish Government after the then Foreign Minister of Israel, Eli Cohen, accused Pedro Sánchez of “supporting terrorism” and summoned the ambassador from Spain in Tel Aviv, Ana Sálomon. At that meeting, the minister warned the Israeli ambassador that “the completely false words that the Government of Israel directed towards Pedro Sánchez are unacceptable to us and can never happen again.”
