Sánchez reacts to Netanyahu's claim of Sánchez instigating an anti-Israel campaign in Gaza: "That's far enough"
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Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish Prime Minister, ain't holding back punches for Israeli Leader Benjamin Netanyahu, dubbing his government's allegations of an "anti-Semitic crusade" as a load of nonsense. The accusation stems from Sánchez's request to suspend agreements with Israel within the European Council, following the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Sánchez shouted out, "That's enough!" to Netanyahu, speaking from Brussels after the European Council meeting.
A hot mess was unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank, as Sánchez called it an open-air hell. He demanded international action to stop the violence and bring peace to the troubled regions. Amid all this chaos, Sánchez took a moment to address the recent Israeli Embassy criticism of his request. The Embassy slammed him for not condemning the attacks against Israeli civilians, which Sánchez strongly denied. He pointed out that from the get-go, he's spoken out against attacks by the terrorist group Hamas and demanded the release of Israeli hostages.
With a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, Sánchez proposed suspending the association agreement between Europe and Israel as a fair response to the humanitarian crisis facing Palestine. He emphasized Spain's responsibility to save lives in Gaza and the West Bank and to help create a two-state solution for peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine.
Looking back at the UN resolution
As the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter approached, Sánchez expressed concern over the world's precarious state, especially in the Middle East. In response, he highlighted a UN General Assembly resolution backed by over 70 member states, including many European Union members, that called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution included mentions of using starvation as a weapon of war against civilians and the denial of humanitarian aid access, among other concerns.
Israel's "anti-Semitic crusade"
Amid the criticism, Sánchez held his ground against allegations of initiating an "anti-Semitic crusade" and placing Spain "on the wrong side of history." He responded to those claims by pointing to a recent EU diplomatic report suggesting that Israel may be breaching Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which emphasizes respect for human rights as a vital pillar for cooperation[1][3].
As tensions ran high, the Spanish Government held firm, pressing for concrete measures to tackle the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Palestine within the European Council[3]. Additionally, Sánchez spoke out against criticisms of Spain's Atlanticist commitment, asserting that being Atlanticist doesn't mean blindly following others or negatively impacting global peace efforts, such as the current crisis in the Middle East[1][3].
In a nutshell:
- Pedro Sánchez has strongly spoken out against Israel's actions in Gaza, calling it a catastrophic situation of genocide[1][3].
- Spain is urging the European Union to suspend the EU-Israel cooperation deal due to Jerusalem's alleged breaches of human rights obligations[1][3].
- The push for the suspension stems from reports of civilian casualties, humanitarian aid blockades, and extensive destruction from Israel’s military offensive in Gaza[3].
- Getting suspension approval across EU member states is challenging due to internal disagreements within the bloc[3].
This unprecedented diplomatic rift finds Spain standing strong against Israel's actions under Netanyahu's leadership.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has addressed ongoing war-and-conflicts in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza, raising concerns about the situations in his recent UN resolution, emphasizing the humanitarian crisis that Palestine is facing. In response to the Israeli Embassy's criticism of his request to suspend agreements with Israel within the European Council, Sánchez engages in a political discussion, denying the accusations of not condemning attacks against Israeli civilians and stressing his strong stance against attacks by terrorist groups like Hamas. This dispute over the suspension of EU-Israel cooperation deal, stemming from allegations of human rights breaches by Israel, has sparked a general-news discussion about Spain's role in addressing war-and-conflicts globally.
