By Rubén Tzanoff
The words and threats of Pedro Sánchez are not enough because it is a genocide, not a war, diplomatic ties with Israel should be severed, and a fundamental solution must be proposed for a single, secular, democratic and socialist Palestine. The International Socialist League (ISL) carries out an international solidarity campaign.
On November 23, after being sworn in as president, Pedro Sánchez visited Israel alongside the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo. He met with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And he told journalists that the “indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, including thousands of boys and girls,” is “completely unacceptable.” He also opened the door for Spain to recognize the Palestinian state, even if the European Union does not do so.
This was too much for the Zionists, who rejected “the false claims of the Prime Ministers of Spain and Belgium, who are giving support to terrorism.” Then, the Foreign Minister called the Spanish and Belgian ambassadors to be summoned for a sharp reprimand. According to Netanyahu, “they did not attribute total responsibility to Hamas for the crimes against humanity it perpetrated, massacring Israeli citizens and using Palestinians as human shields.“
Certainly, we condemn the incomparable cynicism of Israel, the one truly responsible for what is happening in the Middle East from the establishment of the State by blood and fire in 1948, the ethnic cleansing and colonization of Palestine to the current genocide. Sánchez always recognized Israel’s right to “defend itself” and clarified that “we must tell friendly countries the truth“, to make it clear which side they are on, but this is of no use to the Zionist far-right. Sánchez’s statements are the product of great street pressure in Europe against Israel’s crimes and supporting Palestine, which are also echoed in massive and repeated mobilizations in the Spanish State.
It is known that “words are gone with the wind“, but in Sánchez’s case a simple breeze is enough. What is needed, without double-talk, is for Spain to break diplomatic ties with Israel right now. This was done by the Barcelona City Council on November 24, in which plenary session it approved the suspension of diplomatic ties with Israel, with the support of the PSC, BComú and ERC, against JxCat, PP and Vox, “until there is a definitive ceasefire and guarantee respect for the basic rights of the Palestinian people.”
Spain has to break political and commercial ties, since Israel is sixth in sales and ninth in purchases of war material from the country for millions of euros. The links reach such a point that the National Intelligence Center (CNI) is a client of Zionism, which is why it bought the Pegasus system from the Israeli company NSO some time ago, which it used, among other services, to illegally spy on Catalan independence leaders. Just in 2022, Spain exported to Israel for a value of 2,170 million euros, according to ICEX data, which is 20% more than in 2021. For example, in the Bagés region in Catalonia, there is the ICL (Israel Chemicals Ltd.) Iberia Súria & Sallent which is a potassium producer.
It is no coincidence that the Barcelona Stevedores have decided to block the shipment of war material to Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Nor is it surprising that activists have entered the lobby of the Hotel Cortés in Barcelona, owned by an Israeli magnate. While we continue to promote mobilizations against the genocide of the Palestinian people, we have to demand that governments break political and commercial ties with Israel, starting with the Spanish and regional governments. All on the path of a “free Palestine, from the river to the sea”, for a singular, secular, democratic and socialist Palestine. Join the international campaign carried out by the International Socialist League (ISL).