The Government of Pedro Sánchez has expressed this Tuesday its absolute rejection of a possible occupation of the Palestinian territory by Israel."Spain completely rejects any possibility of illegal annexation, and I emphasize the word illegal because it would always be illegal, in any case, both in Gaza and in the West Bank," warned the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.

In an interview with Onda Cero, the head of diplomacy emphasized that this is the same position held by the European Union,"once again promoted and led" by the Spanish government. He also emphasized that he has the support of the rulings of the International Court of Justice on the"illegal settlements" in the region.

"In the document from the meeting we had with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, we already stated a few months ago that we will never recognize an annexation of either Gaza or the West Bank," Albares said, referring to the position agreed upon in Brussels. He also denounced the fact that this is happening"de facto" because Benjamin Netanyahu's army "has absolute control and is forcibly and shamefully displacing the civilian population, another tremendous crime."

The Foreign Minister recalled that the rulings of the International Court of Justice "reject illegal annexations" and that they have often described illegal settlements in the West Bank as "illegal and contrary to international law." He emphasized that it must not be forgotten that "they are also a direct attack on the two-state solution."

In this sense, Albares insists that the"only" way out of a conflict that has already lasted almost two years is through the recognition of "a realistic and viable Palestinian state as requested by Spain." "I want to be very clear on this: there is no alternative," he added, highlighting that"more and more countries" have aligned themselves with this position, a"wave" that has already been followed by France, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Malta and Portugal.

Israel's prime minister has called a meeting of the security cabinet for Tuesday with the intention of"going for the total occupation of the Gaza Strip," as a senior official announced in a meeting with the Israeli press and sources from the government leader's office confirmed, Efe reports."The security forces oppose maneuvers in places where hostages are being held, for fear of causing them harm," a statement said, referring to the people who remain deprived of their liberty since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.

"Too late"

Albares once again lamented that the EU institutions have done "too little too late" to stop the war in the Middle East."We were the first to request sanctions against violent Israeli settlers; in the end, we got the EU to do the same," he explained.

He also pointed out that Spain was"almost alone with Ireland" for many months in calling for the complete suspension of the entire association agreement between the member states and Israel: "More and more countries are joining and I am sure that sooner rather than later we will achieve the majority we need."

"I insist, and I always say this in Brussels, Europe has a special responsibility, because what is being decided at this moment in Palestine (...) are also the values of Europe : human rights, sovereign equality, the rejection of war as a way of resolving conflicts between peoples and nations... All these concepts were born in Europe and we have to defend them because it is how we have built ourselves as a society. Europe will lose a lot if it does not defend them," he warned.

"Induced famine"

Regarding the parachuting of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Albares said that Spain is demanding that all land crossings be opened so that trucks can enter. He added:"Why are Palestinians the only human beings in the world who don't know when they'll be able to eat? Why are 100,000 children, 40,000 of them babies, at risk of dying of hunger in the 21st century for one reason alone: an Israeli land blockade?"

In this sense, the head of Spanish diplomacy has denounced that the Netanyahu Government currently has"a kind of veto right over life and death by starvation" and that "this is an induced famine." "But I also say: we are going to participate in any possibility of sending food, including by air, even if it is a drop in the ocean. This is not the solution, but if I can save the life of a single Palestinian baby, just one, I will be satisfied," he concluded.