The Israeli government has recalled its ambassador in Madrid and announced it will reprimand its Spanish diplomat in Tel Aviv after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (Socialist Workers’ Party of Spain) said he had doubts about whether Israel was complying with international humanitarian law in its offensive in Gaza .
Pedro Sánchez’s statement came on November 30 during a television interview.
In statements to Spanish state broadcaster TVE, Sánchez condemned Hamas’ attacks but said that “friendly countries really need to be able to say something to each other.”
“We have said from the beginning that what Hamas has done in Israel is absolutely vile and despicable,” he said, adding that he was “very tough” when meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for 20 minutes last week. Watched footage of the attacks.
“We have also consistently demonstrated our public commitment to the need for Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release all hostages it is holding,” Sanchez said.
“But we must tell Israel with the same conviction that its actions must be based on international humanitarian law. But given the images we see and the growing numbers of people particularly young men and women being killed, I have real doubts that they are complying with international humanitarian law.”
Sánchez also said that a political solution to the crisis requires “recognition of the Palestinian state” and that “it is in Europe’s interest to address this issue with moral conviction, because what we see in Gaza is unacceptable.”
Spain has already indicated that it might be willing to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state if other European Union members do not do so together.
Netanyahu said he had instructed his Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to summon the Spanish ambassador for a reprimand “following the shameful statement from the Spanish prime minister.” He also noted that the comments were made on the day Hamas murdered three more people and injured 13 others during the ceasefire in East Jerusalem.
Through his social network, Eli Cohen reiterated: “Israel acts and will continue to act in accordance with international law and we will continue the war until all abductees are released and Hamas is eliminated in Gaza.”
Relations between Spain and Israel have been strained in recent weeks after some farleft members of Sánchez’s previous cabinet criticized Israel’s response to terrorist atrocities and suggested Netanyahu be tried at the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli embassy in Madrid called the comments “deeply immoral” and accused some Spanish lawmakers of joining “ISISlike terrorism.”