The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, yesterday warned his Israeli colleague, Israel Katz: “No one is going to intimidate us,” after he released a video in which he mixes images of a flamenco dance with a message in which Hamas gives thanks for Spain’s recognition of the Palestinian State.
Albares, who met with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohamad Mustafa, at the permanent representation of Spain to the EU in Brussels, to personally convey to him the decision of Pedro Sánchez’s Government to approve the recognition of Palestine as a State tomorrow, described the journalists of “scandalous and execrable” the video broadcast by Katz on his social network account X.
The video mixes images of two flamenco dancers with others of Hamas attacks and Katz includes a message that says: “Pedro Sánchez. Hamas thanks you for your services.” Throughout 18 seconds, in the video, which starts with the flag of Spain, some of the images of the attacks by the Palestinian terrorist group on October 7 appear, alternating with those of two people imitating flamenco dancers, while the phrase “Hamas: ‘Thank you Spain'” appears superimposed.
In a joint press conference with Mohamad Mustafa, the Spanish minister stated: “I find the video scandalous and execrable. It is scandalous because it is known to the entire known world, especially to my Israeli colleague, that the Government of Spain has condemned Hamas terrorism from the first moment and in all its actions.”
Albares added that the video is also “execrable for its use, although it is not successful, hurtful, of one of the greatest symbols of Spanish culture, flamenco.”
Likewise, he stated that he feels especially proud of that symbol and that he loves it and announced that “as soon as I have a free hour,” he will go see a flamenco show to claim it, “because,” he said, “it is what the world needs right now.” , a universal art, an open music, a music that dialogues and, therefore, a universal language that brings us closer to all the peoples of the world and that inspires us”.
And he stated: “No one is going to intimidate us in our firm decision nor are we going to fall into provocations that divert us from the goal of peace.”
The minister plans to meet tomorrow in Brussels with his counterparts from Ireland and Norway, countries that have announced their intention to recognize this Tuesday, jointly with Spain, the Palestinian State.
In an article published this Sunday in several media outlets, Albares justifies the decision, pointing out, among other things: “The establishment of the Palestinian State alongside the State of Israel is, without a doubt, a question of justice, but also the only option to peace”.
“The Palestinian State – he explains – must be viable, unifying Gaza and the West Bank under the same Palestinian Authority, with a corridor between the two and with access to the sea, and its capital in East Jerusalem.”
Thanks from Mustafa
For his part, the Palestinian prime minister thanked the “brave” position of the Spanish Government, along with those of Ireland and Norway, and noted that Tuesday will be “a special day for justice and humanity.”
“We want to thank Spain for the importance of its recognition of the Palestinian people’s self-determination,” Mustafa said, adding that the decision of the three countries “provides a solid foundation for an “irreversible” process towards the “consolidation of an independent Palestinian state.”
Likewise, he asked the international community for more energy in demanding that Israel end the offensive in the Gaza Strip. “I think,” he said, “that it is time to go beyond condemning actions and asking Israel to stop the war in Gaza, we must raise our voices and force Israel to stop it. The longer it continues, the more difficult it will be. reconstruction”.
