Spanish Prime Minister calls Israeli attacks on Gaza flotilla “a violation of international law”
The Spanish Prime Minister on Thursday described the Israeli attacks on the Sumud flotilla bound for Gaza as “a violation of international law,” reiterating that the humanitarian aid flotilla “poses no threat” to Tel Aviv.
Speaking at the European Political Community meeting in Denmark, Pedro Sánchez said that he and his government had stayed awake all night following the developments surrounding the flotilla, maintaining constant contact with the participants.
“As the Foreign Minister (Jose Manuel Albares) has said, we have also conveyed to the Israeli government that it is essential to protect not only the rights of our fellow citizens but also those of all members of the flotilla,” he emphasized.
The Prime Minister said that Spain would provide diplomatic protection and defend the rights “that may have been endangered by the actions of the Israeli government.”
“I have said this on many occasions: the flotilla poses no threat to the Israeli government, and therefore we hope that the actions of the Israeli government pose no threat to the flotilla,” he stressed.
Sánchez said that the flotilla seeks to fill the gap left by the restrictions imposed on Gaza, where the UN and its agencies have long been active.
“For us, the most important thing now is the safety of our compatriots and that they can return home soon,” he said. “And from there, we will obviously consider every possible course of action.”
Israeli naval forces attacked 21 ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla late Wednesday and detained at least 317 activists on board, according to the flotilla’s official tracker.
The detained activists are being transported to Israel’s Ashdod port, from where they will be deported to Europe, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
The flotilla, carrying mainly humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail a few days ago in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade.
This is the first time in years that dozens of ships have sailed together toward Gaza and managed to get this close to the enclave, which has been under Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.
Israel further tightened the siege in March by closing all border crossings and blocking food, medicine, and aid, pushing Gaza into famine despite trucks full of aid piling up at its borders.
Since October 2023, the Israeli military has killed more than 100,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has made the enclave nearly uninhabitable and has led to famine and the spread of disease.
"We are constantly being fed the lie about Israel being threatened, while all the time that Israel attacks Syria and seizes parts of it, bombs Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, killing thousands and thousands of people. And then the logical question arises: Who is really threatened here? Also, the security of Jews is constantly mentioned and never that of Palestinians. Although in fact it is only the Palestinian people whose security and territory are constantly threatened. It is high time that politicians, and especially American politicians, stop talking bullshit and nonsense and become honorable and honest people, and not, as up to now, participants in the genocide in Gaza. Pretending to be Christians while at the same time advocating the killing of innocent people is not at all Christian but actually Jewish."
