Israel accuses Spain of "supporting terrorism" for Sánchez's words and calls the ambassador for "a reprimand"
Pedro Sánchez's words at the close of his tour of Israel, the West Bank and Egypt about the possibility of unilateral recognition of Palestine have opened the first international diplomatic breach of the new coalition Government.
From Rafah, the only open border crossing with the Strip, Sánchez defended this Friday that “the time has come for the international community and especially the EU to make a decision on the recognition of the Palestinian State.”. If not, the President of the Government continued, “of course Spain will make its own decisions,” he pointed out.
These statements have greatly displeased Israel, to the point of summoning the Spanish ambassador, Ana María Salomón Pérez, for “a harsh reprimand conversation.”
Israel's slap on the wrist has also affected Belgium, whose Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, has accompanied Sánchez throughout this tour of the area.
“We condemn the false claims of the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium that they are supporting terrorism,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in a message on Twitter.
“Following his words,” Cohen continues, “his ambassadors will be invited to a harsh reprimand conversation,” he added.
In said message, Israel has defended that “it is acting in accordance with International Law and fighting against a terrorist organization worse than the Islamic State that commits war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has also “roundly” condemned the statements of Sánchez and De Croo, since he believes that the two leaders did not clearly point out Hamas for the crimes committed, including the attacks against Israeli citizens and the use of Palestinian civilians as “human shields”.
Albares responds to Israel
Shortly after, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, responded to his Israeli counterpart that his accusations against the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, are “totally false and unacceptable”, he said in an official statement.
In this sense, Foreign Affairs has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Spain, Rodrica Radian-Gordon, to give explanations about these criticisms.
Sánchez's words have received support in Spain from the second vice president and leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, who has indicated that it is “justice” to recognize the Palestinian State: “It has been a firm commitment in the Government agreement. It is a matter of justice to do it now. We must move from words to actions,” Díaz said through a message on Twitter.
For their part, the PP has criticized Sánchez's statements, which in their opinion “make difficult” the “European consensus, with the EU and with NATO, and the consensus in Spanish foreign policy.”
According to popular sources, “traveling to Israel to offend Israel is the opposite of diplomacy”. In their opinion, they continue, “going invited to an ally's house to offend him is the worst letter of introduction for Spain.”
With his trip to Israel, Sánchez “has created a problem for Spain”. “To go last and create a conflict, it is better not to have gone,” maintains the PP.
What happened this Friday represents the most serious episode of diplomatic tensions between Israel and Spain after the Hamas attacks on October 7, although the Israeli Embassy in Madrid also expressed its discomfort at the positions of “certain elements” of the previous Government, in reference to former minister Ione Belarra.
At that time, the Spanish Foreign Ministry responded with a statement in which it called the Israeli accusations “falsehoods” and emphasized that foreign policy was set solely by Sánchez and Minister José Manuel Albares.