Israel summoned Spain’s envoy
dpa
(TNS)
Tel Aviv Madrid (dpa) — Israel summoned the chargé d’affaires at the Spanish embassy in Israel on Monday over comments made by Spanish Youth Minister Sira Rego deemed by Israel as anti-Semitic.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the action was prompted by Rego claiming that the Spanish people support a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea.”
The slogan “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free,” refers to an area between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean which today includes Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
While many pro-Palestinian activists use it as a call for peace and an end of Israeli rule over the Palestinian territories, many Israelis consider it to be a call for the destruction of Israel, and therefore anti-Semitic.
Rego’s comments are part of a systematic anti-Israeli policy pursued by the Spanish government and its prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
Israel summoned Spain’s envoy
The Spanish Youth Ministry and the Spanish Foreign Ministry initially didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Relations between Israel and Spain have sharply deteriorated in recent years, with Sánchez considered the most vocal European critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Sánchez has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a charge that Israel rejects. He has also said the US-Israeli strikes on Iran violate international law and criticized the ongoing occupation of the West Bank.
Spain has imposed sanctions on Israel and formally recognized a Palestinian state in 2024. Both countries have recalled their ambassadors amid the diplomatic tensions.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it reprimanded chargé d’affaires at the Spanish embassy Francisca Pedrós over the minister’s remarks.
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