Pedro Sánchez takes a new step in the Spanish diplomatic position towards Israel by demanding an end to arms exports to the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. And he did so after meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, and as Israel invaded southern Lebanon and attacked the bases of the United Nations mission there – UNIFIL, formerly UNIFIL, UNIFIL in English.
“I criticize and condemn the attacks suffered by the United Nations mission, UNIFIL, in Lebanon by the Israeli armed forces,” said Sánchez: “We find this absolutely reprehensible, rejectable and which reminds us of the urgency of putting end to the war. violence, that this spiral of violence in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank ceases and that we can, once and for all, find the diplomatic path to resolve the conflicts in peaceful terms.
And he added: “I think it is urgent that, in light of everything that is happening in the Middle East, the international community stops the export of arms to the Israeli government. »
In this sense, Sánchez insisted that the government “has not exported any type of weapons or military equipment to Israel since October 7, 2023, Spain’s position is not to contribute in any way one way or another to the escalation of violence and war.” .”
Regarding the export of arms, reports from the Delàs Center show that although commercial operations were closed before October 7, 2023, shipments subsequently took place from Spain, as well as purchases from Israel . These events were denounced by PSOE partners in the government – Sumar – and in Congress – Podemos, EH Bildu, ERC –, who demand an end to diplomatic and commercial relations between Spain and Israel.
“When we talk about the requirement to respect international humanitarian law,” Sánchez continued, “we emphasize the urgency for the Israeli government to cease these hostilities that contravene international law, because it is invading a third country, occurrence, of Lebanon, but also of international humanitarian law, as the International Court of Justice itself called into question in the case of settlements in the West Bank, without going any further.”
At the head of the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, with just over 10,000 troops under his command – including 670 Spaniards – is Spanish Major General Aroldo Lázaro, whose mandate began in 2022 and will continue until next year. Their task is delicate, in a scenario where Israel advances its ground invasion from the south and bombs several regions of the country. In a few days, the Israeli army caused the deaths of more than 2,000 Lebanese – more than a hundred children – and the displacement of more than a million.
Borrell and Macron too
The high representative, Josep Borrell, joined French President Emmanuel Macron in his demand to stop sending weapons to Israel, which angered Benjamin Netanyahu. “We all say there are too many deaths, but deaths continue to rise. This is why the decision taken by the President of the French Republic is so important,” the head of European diplomacy said this week during a debate in the European Parliament coinciding with the anniversary of the Hamas attacks.
“I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop sending weapons [a Israel] lead the fighting in Gaza. France does not do it,” Macron said this weekend. Other countries, such as Spain, suspended the granting of new licenses intended for that country, although previously subscribed weapons continued to be shipped. Macron’s message, which the EU top representative applauded, was particularly aimed at the United States, which is Israel’s main arms supplier and has increased deliveries since the start of the Gaza massacre.
Borrell began his speech by condemning the Hamas attacks and recalling that this is the worst tragedy suffered by the Jewish people since the Holocaust. “Anti-Semitism is the most perverse invention of the human being,” said the Catalan politician, who summarized the number of Israeli victims and demanded the “unconditional release of the hostages” captured on October 7. ‘last year. “From this tragic experience, it is inferred that the people of Israel cannot look to the future if they are not sure that the events of October 7 will never happen again,” he said.
From there, he questioned the expansion of the war to other territories, such as Lebanon, and appealed to Israel’s “limits” in its right to self-defense. “In a war, there are no good or bad victims, there are simply civilian victims, whether Israeli or Palestinian,” he said.
The high representative was also pessimistic about the resolution of the conflict. “The problem is not only the continuation of the war but also the failure of the political perspective,” said Borrell, who admitted that the prospect of a ceasefire “seems to disappear.” “Never have we talked about the conflict between Israel and Palestine as much as today, but never with so little prospect of a political solution,” he reiterated.
“A great effort must be made for dialogue between the civil societies of Israel and Palestine,” added Borrell, who admitted that the approach amid bloodshed may seem “absurd”; but he assured that diplomatic efforts would continue, for example, during events such as the meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean to be held in Barcelona on October 27.
“We need to move from mutual rejection to mutual recognition and if someone feels that this is not possible, they need to think of another solution. “If this solution is not possible, what is the solution? asked Borrell, a staunch defender of the two-state solution that Netanyahu has consistently rejected.
Borrell acknowledged that “Europe is absent” in the Middle East conflict and attributed the lack of leverage in resolving the conflict to divisions that exist between member states.
