The conflict between Spain and Israel has intensified further, with Israel condemning Spain for allowing a pro-Palestinian group to conduct events in Madrid that allegedly condone terrorism and glorify crimes against humanity. The group in question, Masar Badil, otherwise referred to as the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, had their yearly conference within the Spanish city recently, soon succeeded by a protest. Established in 2021, the group denotes itself as an opposition to ‘Zionist colonialism’.
Israel’s foreign ministry voiced their disapproval of these events on various social media platforms, expressing disappointment in Spain for apparently fostering hatred and endorsing the obliteration of Israel. The foreign ministry alleges that Masar Badil is affiliated with terrorist organisations and that it commemorated the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7th.
The ministry criticised the Spanish government for allegedly permitting the celebration of terrorist activities and crimes against humanity committed by Hamas, indicating it as a failure of democracy. The relationship between the two nations has been strained throughout the past year.
At the centre of this strained relationship is Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who has consistently maintained that Israel has the right to self-defence, especially after the October 7th attack. However, his criticism of Israel’s military response has also been notably robust within Europe.
Tensions have been exacerbated by calls from Sanchez’s former far-left coalition partners for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be tried for war crimes, and Spain’s acknowledgement of a Palestinian state, a decision also made by Ireland and Norway. The latter prompted Israel’s harsh response, calling it ‘a parade of stupidity’ and openly mocking the three nations online.
Responding to the allegations that Spain enabled the events held by Masar Badil, Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, denied having prior knowledge it, and described Israel’s accusations against Spain as ‘completely indefensible’.
Spain is a nation known for its tolerant ethos, where individuals can live freely, and express themselves without fear. Any instigation of hatred, including anti-Semitism, is not only universally denounced by the Spanish people, but it is also proscribed by their criminal law. This points was reiterated with emphasis, on the day when the memory of such hate speech was being observed.
Legal proceedings will address any allegations of racist or hate speech. Highlighting this, the Spanish foreign ministry condemned the previous year’s aggression by Hamas towards Israel, timed to coincide with the attack’s anniversary. At the same time, Spain’s foreign minister, Mr Albares, has reaffirmed the country’s backing for South Africa’s allegations of genocide against Israel which have been brought before the International Court of Justice.
On a related note, plans are underway to use military transport to evacuate Spanish citizens from Lebanon this Wednesday. This comes on the heels of last week’s evacuation, wherein two Spanish aircraft were utilised to extract 243 individuals, including Spaniards and folks from various other nations, from the beleaguered country.