In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Spain’s prime minister admitted that the EU’s refusal to hold Israel to account amounts to failure. Plus, Russia’s ‘undeniable interference’
Against the scale of civilian slaughter, famine and mounting evidence of war crimes in Gaza, Europe’s political leaders have been passive to the point of complicity, argue many human rights advocates and even former high-ranking EU officials.
Now the Spanish prime minister has come close to acknowledging as much. In an interview with the Guardian, Pedro Sánchez characterised Europe’s refusal to act against the Israeli government as a moral and political failure that would damage its global credibility for years to come. Sánchez warned that Europe’s response to “one of the darkest episodes of the 21st century” has been “a failure, absolutely”.
Sánchez became the first senior EU leader to accuse Israel of genocide in July – other governments, including the UK, argue that only international courts can make such a judgment. In today’s interview, Sánchez admitted Europe is operating double standards in how it responds to Ukraine and Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory.
The comments reflect increasing impatience in Madrid with the deep divisions that have so far resulted in the EU’s near-paralysis on Gaza – and a sense among many voters that all EU governments are ignoring the political decisions that have led to this humanitarian catastrophe. Spain’s leader wants the suspension of the strategic partnership the EU has with Israel and said that Spain would push Europe to do more, including punishing Israel financially.
