The diplomatic crisis between Israel and Spain still there. In fact, Israel has just summoned the Spanish embassy again to a “reprimand” meeting, following the words of the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, this Thursday. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu“ordered the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, to invite the Spanish ambassador to Israel”, Ana Sálomon Pérez, “for a conversation of reprimand after Sánchez’s shameful statement” on the day that Hamas terrorists are killing Israelis in Jerusalem

Sánchez insisted this Thursday on the need for European countries that still do not recognize Palestine, such as Spain, to take that step for a “moral conviction“given the current situation in Gaza but also because it is in the geopolitical interest of the Twenty-seven not to have a second open front in addition to the war in Ukraine. He has also spoken about the diplomatic clash with Israel over its statements from the Rafá border crossingthe president has assured that the relationship with this country is “correct” and has defended that “Friendly countries also have to tell each other things” Thus, once again, he assured that the attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 against Israel “is absolutely despicable and execrable” and he acknowledged that it was “very hard” to have to watch a 20-minute video about it that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it at the beginning of their meeting last Thursday.

“It has our condemnation and our rejection,” he assured, also demanding the release “without any conditions and immediately” of the hostages still in the hands of Hamas. But, Sánchez added, “with the same conviction” must be said to Israel that your answer has to be based on International Humanitarian Law. “With the images we are seeing and the increasing number, especially of boys and girls who are dying, I have frank doubts that they are complying“with this, he admitted.

Parallel to these statements, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, has this Thursday withdrawn from his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, his country’s right to defend itself, always respecting humanitarian law, and has expressed his desire to maintain good relations, after the recent diplomatic crisis. Albares has been able to speak in person with Cohen for the first time since the diplomatic crisis opened after the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, denounced the “indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians” by the Israeli Army in response to the Hamas terrorist attacks. on October 7. These statements, made at a press conference at the Rafah border crossing, between Egypt and Gaza, last week, provoked a protest from Israel, which summoned the Spanish ambassador in Tel Aviv considering that the words of the chief executive constituted “support for terrorism”.

In response, Albares also summoned the Israeli ambassador in Madrid, considering “especially serious” the accusations of the Government of Israel. Regarding his conversation today with Cohen, during the ministerial council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) being held in the Macedonian capital, the Spanish minister said: “I once again expressed our solidarity with the victims (of the attack). And how Israel has the right to defend itself from a terrorist attack, but within international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians. “I also told him that our desire was, of course, to maintain the good relations we have with Israel,” Albares said.

He also expressed his condolences for the shooting carried out today at an entrance to Jerusalem by two men who killed a 24-year-old girl, a 73-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman and injured six other people, three of them seriously. Israeli security forces then killed the shooters, whom they identified as Hamas members who had previously been convicted and imprisoned on terrorism charges, the Shin Bet, Israel’s security agency, reported.