Eduardo González
Yesterday, Israel once again strongly attacked the Spanish Government for its decision to officially recognize the Palestinian State and threatened to “harm those who harm it” because “the times of the Inquisition are over.” In his response, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, urged “not to fall into any provocation” and “not to divert attention” from the objectives in favor of peace, the security of civilians and the recognition of Palestine.
“The days of the Inquisition are over. Today, the Jewish people have a sovereign and independent State, and no one will force us to convert our religion or threaten our existence: those who harm us, we will harm them in response,” declared the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel. Katz, through his account on the social network X.
According to Katz, Israel “will not remain silent in the face of a government that rewards terrorism and whose leaders, Pedro Sánchez and Yolanda Díaz, chant the anti-Semitic slogan ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'” “The Israeli people and the Spanish people are friendly people. We will not allow you, Pedro Sánchez, nor Yolanda Díaz, nor the members of your government to separate us,” he declared in another message.
“Those who reward Hamas and attempt to establish a Palestinian terrorist state will have no contact with the Palestinians,” he warned. For this reason, he announced, he has given orders “to send a diplomatic note to the Spanish Embassy in Israel prohibiting the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem from carrying out consular activities or providing consular services to residents of the Palestinian Authority.” In his note, Katz detailed that the order will go into effect on June 1.
Press conference of Spain, Ireland and Norway
Katz’s message coincided with the joint press conference offered yesterday from Brussels by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, together with his Irish counterparts, Micheál Martin, and Norwegian counterparts, Espen Barth Eide, representing the three countries that today Tuesday they will officially recognize the Palestinian State.
“Tomorrow (today), our three countries, Ireland, Norway and Spain, will experience a historic day that will bring us closer to that goal that we all desire to achieve peaceful and safe coexistence in the Middle East,” Albares declared at the press conference.
For his part, the Irish minister rejected Israel’s accusations against Spain, Ireland and Norway according to which the recognition of Palestine represents “a reward for terrorism.” In his opinion, recognizing Palestine will help, precisely, to facilitate peaceful coexistence and normalize relations between Israelis and Palestinians through a “durable and fair” agreement in which “neither terrorism nor occupation” have a place. In the same sense, the Norwegian minister affirmed that it is “the right decision” that comes at “the right time” and urged other European countries to follow the example of Spain, Ireland and Norway so that the peace process does not break down. “get stuck” again as happened in the 1990s.
Videos and provocations
In addition, Albares, Martin and Barth Eide agreed in their rejection of the videos published this Sunday by Israel against the three countries, which it accuses of “rewarding Hamas.” Israel Katz broadcast three videos on his X account three videos in which, drawing on topics from each of the countries (in the case of Spain, two flamenco dancers), he thanked, on behalf of Hamas, the “services provided.”
“We have agreed on how unacceptable that video is,” said the Spanish minister. “Therefore, of course, at some point we will have to express that opinion that we have of rejection of something that is not within diplomatic courtesy or the uses of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations,” he warned. “They are outside diplomatic rules and we will make it known. I always refer to people with respect and ask for the same thing. We are very clear: we are going to maintain diplomatic relations with Israel,” declared the Irish Foreign Minister.
Albares referred to these issues again at the press conference following the EU Foreign Affairs Council (CAE), held yesterday in Brussels. “I spoke about it this morning with my Norwegian colleague and with my Irish colleague, who are also receiving absolutely unjustified and absolutely reprehensible provocations from our Israeli colleague,” he explained.
“We have agreed not to fall into any provocation, not to divert attention or focus from what has to be, which is compliance with the rulings of the International Court of Justice, the unacceptable nature of the continuation of the military operation in Rafah, with the death of innocent Palestinian civilians, including boys and girls (…), and the recognition of the Palestinian State, also for peace, but, of course, for justice so that the Palestinian people are not permanently condemned to being a people of refugees,” declared the minister.
