Pedro Sánchez began his meetings with the highest political authorities of Israel this Thursday morning in Jerusalem, as part of the tour of the Middle East with which he began his new mandate, demanding an end to the death of innocents, including thousands of children, in the Gaza Strip: “We need to stop this humanitarian catastrophe and the suffering of the Palestinians,” the President of the Government has demanded.
The Spanish president, also acting president of the Council of the European Union, accompanied by the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander de Croo - who in January will assume this rotating presidency of the community club -, has met first with the president of Israel , Isaac Herzog, and then with the Prime Minister of the Hebrew State, Beniamin Netanyahu. “Spain shares Israel's pain and condemns the Hamas attacks,” warned Sánchez, who hoped that the immediate return of the Israeli hostages who were kidnapped by the terrorist organization on October 7 would be achieved.
Sánchez, however, has firmly defended his positions before the highest political authorities of the Hebrew State: "Israel has the right to defend itself, but it must comply with international law." “The response must not involve the death of innocent people in Gaza, including thousands of children,” he demanded during the meeting with Herzog. “We ask that all civilians be protected and that humanitarian aid enter Gaza immediately,” the Spanish president claimed.
Sánchez has conveyed to Netanyahu the same strong messages previously expressed to Herzog. “With the same decision, clarity and courage,” government sources have highlighted, giving relevance to his words before the Prime Minister of Israel. “With serenity,” they have insisted, but without modulating their position.
The Spanish president has thus insisted to Netanyahu that the fight against Hamas terrorism cannot be done only through force, and that a horizon of hope must be offered to the Palestinian people.
Netanyahu, in any case, has taken advantage of Sánchez and De Croo's visit to show them, first of all, a video with very harsh scenes and extreme violence, as defined by government sources, of Hamas attacks on the civilian population. Israeli on October 7. Some images with which the Prime Minister of Israel wanted to make his visitors understand his reaction to attacking the Gaza Strip.
“For decades, my country has suffered from the scourge of terrorism,” Sánchez told Netanyahu. “We can understand Israel's frustration and pain. The acts committed by Hamas are terrible,” he acknowledged. “Israel has the right to defend itself, but that response must respect international law. We must urgently stop the humanitarian catastrophe,” Sánchez warned the Israeli president, however.
With forcefulness: “The whole world is shocked by the images we see every day from Gaza. The number of dead Palestinians is truly unbearable. "There must be a clear distinction between military objectives and the protection of civilians." “We must start working now for the two-state solution to bring a serious perspective of peace. And we must stop this endless cycle of violence,” Sánchez defended before Netanyahu.
The head of the Executive, who this afternoon plans to travel to Ramallah, the administrative capital of the West Bank, to also meet with the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmud Abbas, has also defended before the Israeli authorities that this institution take charge in the future also from the Gaza Strip.
"We must propose the two-state solution, it is the best way to defeat terrorism and guarantee security in Israel," defended Sánchez. The president has also raised directly in Jerusalem his proposal that it be held, within a horizon of six months, as contemplated by the Spanish Government, an international peace conference, with the participation of Israel and Palestine and with the support of the international community.
After their meetings with Netanyahu and Herzog, Sánchez and De Croo plan to travel to the Be'eri kibbutz, one of those that were attacked by Hamas on October 7.
