The public demonstrations by representatives of Podemos and Sumar unambiguously placing themselves in favor of Palestine have dragged the Government into a diplomatic crisis in the middle of the current Spanish presidency of the European Union. In the socialist wing of La Moncloa they had tried to maintain their traditional, calculatedly measured position regarding the conflict in the Middle East, but they have been forced to stand up for their partners after the formal criticism issued by Israel.
Through a statement released this Monday by its embassy in Madrid, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokespersons have asked Pedro Sánchez to “unequivocally” condemn the “shameful statements” of some members of his Executive who have chosen to “align themselves with the terrorism” of Hamas. These pronouncements, they maintain, “are not only absolutely immoral, but they also endanger the security of the Jewish communities of Spain, exposing them to the risk of a greater number of anti-Semitic incidents and attacks.”
Moncloa did not take long to respond to them through another letter signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation – whose powers are in the hands of the PSOE – in which it “flatly rejects the falsehoods expressed” by Israel about unspecified public positions and warns that he does not accept “unfounded insinuations about them.” “Any political leader can freely express positions as a representative of a political party in a full democracy such as Spain,” they warned.
Although the embassy’s statement of complaint does not include any specific name, the acting Minister of Social Rights and Secretary General of Podemos, Ione Belarra, quickly accepted the reference and immediately reaffirmed her criticism of Netanyahu online. social “Democratic. Silence, complicity with terror.”
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs insists that the position of the Government “as a whole” regarding the Hamas terrorist attacks is “blatant condemnation, demand for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and recognition of Israel’s right to defend itself.” within the limits set by International Law and International Humanitarian Law”. Likewise, they assure that they share the conviction that “the only viable solution to achieve a situation of stability in the region is the solution of two states that coexist in peace and security.”