Spain’s Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Postenduy, warned national companies in Israel of the risk of contributing to genocide in Palestine, much to the dismay of the Israeli embassy.
In a letter addressed to companies, conveyed by a ministry statement, the leftist minister called on groups in Israel to provide details of the measures implemented to avoid “violations that may result from their activities.”
He added: “We must verify that these activities do not contribute to the flagrant human rights violations committed by the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories” with “the risk of contributing to genocide in Palestine.”
This statement sparked a strong reaction from the Israeli embassy in Spain, which confirmed in a brief statement that it “completely rejects the false accusations promoted by some ministers, intellectuals, and the media, to the effect that Israel is committing genocide.”
The embassy denounced what it described as “the demonization and delegitimization of Israel, through baseless accusations that give strength to Hamas and those who want the demise of the Israeli state, which is a clear incitement to hatred and anti-Semitism,” she said.
In a letter received by Agence France-Presse, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs distanced itself from Minister Pablo Bustenduy’s letter, saying that it was not aware of the existence of this letter. She also confirmed that the latter does not speak on behalf of the government.
The term “genocide” has been used repeatedly in recent months by ministers from left-wing parties within the government of Pedro Sanchez. But this is the first time it has been used in an official context.
This comes at a time when Sanchez, who is considered the European voice most critical of Israel, seeks to rally other European capitals to support the idea of recognizing a Palestinian state, which Madrid does not rule out doing unilaterally.
