AA / Oviedo / Alyssa McMurtry
The Spanish Foreign Minister warned on Saturday “that the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) demanding that Israel immediately stop its military offensive in Rafah must be respected.”
“The ICJ’s provisional measures, including the cessation of the Israeli offensive in Rafah, are binding,” José Manuel Albares said in a message on X before adding, “we demand its implementation.”
On Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately stop its attacks on Rafah, not to block humanitarian aid and to allow UN officials into Gaza to investigate its crimes.
In his statement, Albares explained that “Spain also demands a ceasefire, the release of hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
“The suffering of the people of Gaza and the violence must end,” he concluded.
His statements come against a backdrop of growing tensions between Spain and Israel.
Indeed, the tension on bilateral relations increased when Spain, as well as Norway and Ireland, announced that they would recognize Palestine as a state from May 28.
In response, Israel announced the summoning of envoys from Ireland, Norway and Spain for “severe reprimands” following the three countries’ decision to recognize the Palestinian state.
Authorities filmed the diplomats as they watched footage of the October 7 operation. Following this, Albares condemned this act, adding that the Irish and Norwegian governments share the same reaction.
For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on Friday that he “will sever the link with the Spanish representation in Israel and will prevent the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem from providing services to Palestinians in the West Bank”, following the statements by Yolanda Diaz, the second vice-president of Spain who wrote: “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea.”
On Friday, Albares told RAC1 television channel “that he did not know how Israel could block Spanish diplomatic services to the Palestinians and that he had to monitor the situation closely.”
On the other hand, he added: “if Katz’s statement were to be taken literally, Spain would take diplomatic steps in this direction.”
*Translated from English by Hajer Cherni
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