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A joint visit ends in middle East, a diplomatic crisis begins. AND Israel’s reaction was harsh after criticism from the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium of his military actions in the Gaza Strip, Pedro Sanchez and Alexander de Croowent to Rafah crossing coinciding with the start of the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the first hostages. “They have not accepted full responsibility for the crimes against humanity they committed Hamas” thundered the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While its State Department accused them of even “supporting terrorism,” it called on their respective ambassadors to come forward. Actually in the two days in between Israel, the West Bank and EgyptSanchez and De Croo have repeatedly and explicitly condemned the October 7 attacks on the kibbutzim.
Sanchez and De Croo condemn Hamas “The horror of Hamas was barbaric and everything must be done to free all the innocent hostages,” the Belgian prime minister said at a press conference in Rafah alongside Sanchez. Other parts of their interventions focused instead on the situation in Gaza. “Israel has the right to defend itself, but it must do so within the parameters and limits imposed by international humanitarian law. And that is not the case. The indiscriminate massacre of innocent civilians, including thousands of boys and girls, is completely unacceptable,” said Sanchez, who also raised the possibility that Spain would recognize the Palestinian state regardless of the decision of other EU states. “A military operation must respect international humanitarian law. The killing of civilians must stop immediately. Too many people have died and the destruction of Gaza is unacceptable,” De Croo said, adding that a solution to this conflict “can only be politics.”
Israel’s reaction to Sanchez’s words The Israeli government’s strong anger appears to stem from this kind of attitude, although it has already been expressed in similar ways, notably by Sánchez directly to Israeli President Isaac Herzog and to Netanyahu the day before in Jerusalem. In this context, the Israeli reaction was more muted, although the differences between the parties were clearly visible. The Jewish state “is doing everything in its power to protect the population from danger,” Netanyahu replied, adding, however, that it was a “battle for civilization” that “must be won because there is no other There is a choice.” However, the Spanish response was not long in coming. “These are completely false and unacceptable allegations,” said Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares. “We’re studying an answer.”