Spanish Defense Minister: Gaza War is ‘Real Genocide’
The Spanish defense minister said on Saturday that the conflict in Gaza is a “real genocide,” as relations between Israel and Spain worsen following Madrid’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
Israel has strongly rejected accusations made against it by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it is committing a genocide against Palestinians, saying it is waging war on the Hamas militant group which attacked on Oct. 7.
The remark by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles in an interview with TVE state television echoed a comment by Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz who earlier this week also described the Gaza conflict as a genocide.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and destroyed much of the enclave. Israel launched the operation to try to eliminate Hamas after the Palestinian militant group’s attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, declared this week it would recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, prompting an angry response from Israel, which said it amounted to a “reward for terrorism” and recalled its ambassadors from the three capitals.
Judges at the ICJ, the top UN court, on Friday ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in the case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Saturday that Israel must obey the court’s ruling.
“The International Court of Justice’s precautionary measures, including the cessation of Israel’s offensive in Rafah, are mandatory. We demand its application,” he said in a post on social media site X.
