The diplomatic crisis between Israel and Spain on the day of the armistice: “Sanchez is a friend of terrorists.” “Unacceptable accusations.” And this is what happened

On a day that coincides with Israel’s first sigh of relief since October 7 – with the release of the first thirteen hostages captured by Hamas that day – a conflict erupts that amounts to a diplomatic crisis between the Jewish state on the one hand, Spain and Israel. Belgium on the other hand. Two countries that are not generally considered “heavyweights” on the international scene, but which play a special role at this moment: they lead the political action of the European Union, with the rotating presidency of the Council, respectively this term and the next. The Israeli Foreign Minister, on the direct recommendation of Benjamin Netanyahu, decided this afternoon to summon the ambassadors of the two countries to reprimand them for what the two prime ministers said this morning during their visit to the Rafah crossing. In fact, in a surprise move, Pedro Sanchez and Alexandre De Croo headed to the Egyptian “gate” to the Gaza Strip on the first day of the truce between Israel and Hamas. To deliver a fairly clear message, but ultimately it was indigestible for Israel. “We must replace violence with hope. “It is time to put an end to the endless cycle of violence that has condemned the region for decades: it is time to provide a horizon of peace, security and prosperity instead,” Sanchez said, expressing hope that the current ceasefire will become permanent. . However, the Spanish Prime Minister angered Israel when he described the “indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, including thousands of children” in the Gaza Strip as unacceptable.

Back and forth

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen then condemned the “false statements” of Spain and Belgium, accusing them of nothing less than “supporting terrorism.” In his justification for summoning the two ambassadors, Cohen said, “Israel is acting in accordance with international law and is fighting a terrorist organization worse than ISIS, fighting war crimes and crimes against humanity.” But the Spanish counter-move did not take long. After describing the Israeli government’s accusations as “false and completely unacceptable,” Madrid, in turn, summoned the Israeli ambassador, Rodica Radian-Gordon, to request clarification of what happened.