Freedom of expression of ministers

The statements about Palestine and Israel by the ministers of Sumar and Podemos are an almost irrelevant anecdote in the enormity of the Middle East conflict. But a Government that allows its ministers to make uncoordinated and reckless statements about such a serious conflict should question whether it is really prepared to continue exercising the European presidency..

During the years that I was an advisor to the European Commissioner for Foreign Affairs on the Middle East, we used the motto that “the greatest success is not making a mistake”. In an area where interests, emotions and the weight of history are always on the surface, the watchword must always be prudence.. And even more so now, when we don't even know if what we are facing is a response to a terrorist attack, a confrontation between Israel and Palestine, a regional conflict or a possible global conflict..

Apart from alleviating the humanitarian situation, the most important thing is to prevent the conflict from spreading. Therefore, everything that is done or said now has to avoid that inflammation, even if it means keeping quiet about things that one thinks.. That is what the majority of leaders of democratic countries are doing.. That is why statements are copied and they avoid commenting on things whose effect is still uncertain.. For example, it is not yet clear whether establishing a corridor to Egypt for the civilian population of Gaza is a wise measure or not, because if that removes the historical echoes of the displacement of the Palestinian population, it could do immense damage; That explains why there are still almost no public statements on the matter..

When things are as serious as what is happening in Israel and Gaza, the international community has to know its place and row in favor. That is the only thing expected from a Government like ours that has lost (during this and previous legislatures) almost all the influence it had in the area.. Our mission as presidency is not to weaken the position of the European Union. And the mission of the European Union is to support the actions of the United States, which are the only ones that can temper the response of Israel and that of the Arab world (or Arab worlds, because they are now clearly divided).. What Blinken and Biden are trying to achieve is extremely complex: limit Israel's response, free the hostages, open humanitarian corridors, contain the Arab countries and avoid a regional or global escalation, all at the same time.. If we do not agree with their strategy (and it is unlikely that Europe has a better strategy, and it is also impossible that it could implement it), the only option is to try to modulate the American position from behind, but never publicly open a new gap.

It cannot be difficult for the Spanish Government to submit to this basic discipline, because that is basically what the European Union has been doing for decades in the Middle East: filling the holes left by the American strategy without opposing it.. If the Government now disagrees with the American or European position and thinks that not enough measures have been taken to hold Israel accountable for the Palestinian occupation recognized by the United Nations, the time to question those policies is another, not this.. And this rule of not making sudden changes in position now that could further complicate the situation also applies to the European Commission: even those of us who launched direct aid to the Palestinian Authority believe that it almost makes no sense to maintain unchanged that aid that we designed more than 20 years ago, when there was still hope of reviving the peace process; but this aid cannot be suspended suddenly and without coordination, as the European Commissioner for Cooperation tried to do last week.

In its response to the Israeli embassy's ill-considered complaint about the statements of the Sumar and Podemos ministers, the Government has stressed that all Spanish political leaders have freedom of expression with respect to their opinions.. With all due respect to the Government, all Spaniards have freedom of expression, but Spaniards who are part of the Government have to know when and how to use it. Ministers cannot go around saying whatever they want. That is what distinguishes a minister from an influencer who allows himself to give his opinion on everything without filters because nothing he says has consequences. Being a minister, even in office, is a public position, not a position to please your public. Being a minister of a Government that exercises the European presidency does not require freedom of expression but prudence.