Spain Notes, Nov 27: Sánchez Israel reactions
Poll shows split on monarchy vs. republic in Spain.
Comment: Sánchez's dramatic Israel trip. Did he take a bold, principled humanitarian stance or is he an enemy of Israel and a friend of terrorists?
1/ Biden tweeted US support for a two-state solution and “equal measures of dignity” for Israelis and Palestinians.
2/ Borrell (EU foreign affairs, Spain, PSOE) said he was “appalled” that Israel is going to build “more illegal settlements”, “that is not self-defence and will not make Israel safer”.
3/ “Appalling” is also the word the British government has used to describe the killing of Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. New UK Foreign Secretary, Cameron (former PM) was also in Israel last week, talking about hostages and humanitarian aid and a long-term soluttion.
4/ Belgian PM De Croo (liberal democrat), who was with Sánchez on the trip, is sticking to his guns vs. Israel, “no more civilian casualties”.
5/ The Israeli Foreign Secretary El Cohen appears to be pleased with the Dutch far-right, anti-immigrant nationalist leader Geert Wilders, who won the general election there recently, and who holds that Jordan is Palestine and that Gazans should be sent there.
6/ Forced deportation is a crime against humanity (ICC 7.1.d).
7/ Feijóo tweeted on Saturday that Sánchez had “gravely prejudiced” the foreign policy of Spain with that same stance.
8/ So looking at those and other European and international statements and positions over the past few days, Sánchez’s position doesn’t seem as horrible as the right in Spain would like to make out.
9/ ABC writes that Sánchez is behaving like an activist, not a Prime Minister.
10/ A poll in El Diario says a majority of Spaniards would favour a referendum on monarchy vs. republic. Support for each option in the poll is pretty evenly split, at 43.5% for a monarchy and 44.7% for a republic, 11.8% undecided.
11/ Bildu leader Otegi says he won’t run in the regional elections in the Basque Country to become First Minister there.
12/ A long-distance train derailed in a tunnel (video) near Madrid’s Atocha station yesterday evening. No injuries but…how does that happen?
Let’s go:
Thank you for your work, Matthew.
I might be wrong or missing something but this view that Sanchez’s position is similar to most European countries sounds very odd to me.
How many European countries have pledged to recognise the Palestinian state precisely now (when it hurts the most in diplomatic terms)? How many have appointed ministers with such a hardline pro Palestinian stance? How many have been cheered by Hamas among the 27 EU members and 40 countries in the continent?
I think he is (I refuse to say the country is) clearly an outlier in Europe and nowhere near the average position.
Reconocer un estado palestino aquí o allá es irrelevante para la solución del conflicto. El problema es Irán.
Mientras Irán pueda esparcir la guerra por todo el mundo musulmán entrenando, financiando y armando grupos terroristas que mantengan viva la llama anti-judía y anti-occidental, no habrá paz.
Irán es ya un monstruo de casi 100 millones de habitantes, que tarde o temprano tendrá armamento nuclear, y que pretende ser la gran potencia líder regional y de todo del mundo musulmán por delante de Arabia Saudita. Impedirá todo intento de paz entre árabes e israelíes, como acaba de hacer con los tratados entre Israel y Arabia Saudita.
Pero nadie en Occidente quiere hablar de esto, es más fácil culpar a Israel: al fin y al cabo Israel no va a mandar terroristas a ponernos bombas, y por ahora "solo" mueren judíos y palestinos en la defensa de los intereses estratégicos iraníes... ¿para qué ser tildados nosotros de "belicistas" si podemos cantar vivas a la paz gratuitamente?
Al menos hasta que nos toque morir a nosotros...