Spain Notes, Oct 10: the Spanish left + Israel

1/ France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US—but not Spain—issued a joint statement in support of Israel’s right to defend itself: “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasise that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage”.

2/ Jewish organisations in Spain called for the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister, Yolanda Díaz (Sumar): “her hostility towards Israel, a friendly country, and its citizens, victims of terrorist barbarity over the past few days, make it incompatible for her to be in a Western democratic government”.

3/ A demonstration took place in central Madrid yesterday evening, like in central London, in support of Palestinians. Attendees chanted “Palestine will win”. Official buildings in Madrid, like in London, were lit with the Israeli flag.

4/ Enrique Santiago, the leader of the Spanish Communisty Party (PCE) said “Palestine is not alone” and that “occupied peoples have a legitimate right to resist”. United Left MEP Manu Pineda said “we are demonstrating in defence of the Palestinian people and denouncing the Israeli apartheid regime”. Podemos spokesoman Isa Serra posted photos of herself at the march, “in solidarity with the Palestinian people”.

5/ Bildu, the Spanish political party most closely aligned with the Basque terror group ETA, who ran with several dozen former convicted ETA terrorists in its electoral lists in May, and whose leader is himself a former ETA terrorist, tweeted that “these things are going to happen”.

6/ Sumar, Podemos, Bildu, Esquerra, the Communist Party and the Galician nationalis party BNG had shown “an indecent equidistance” on the issue, writes El Mundo: “at the extreme, they are blaming the Jewish state for the murder of its citizens”.

7/ ABC agrees, charging against the “moral blindness” of the Spanish left and regional separatists: “Sánchez’s allies have shown themselves incapable of condemning Hamas’s brutal terror attacks. The Prime Minister hasn’t recognised Israel’s right to defend itself either”.

8/ El País is silent on reactions in Spain. Its editorial on the matter was two days ago, and called for international mediation before the conflict spread.

9/ One column in (right-wing) Libertad Digital was titled “Sánchez presides over a Hamas government”.

10/ Feijóo met Sánchez yesterday as part of the new talks to appoint a new Prime Minsiter, this time with Sánchez in charge. Predictably, there was no agreement on anything. Feijóo called for a repeat election in January.

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