2023-11-23 12:02:12
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has reiterated before the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, his condemnation of the terrorist attack by Hamas and Israel’s right to defend itself but has argued that the response “cannot involve the death of innocent civilians” in the Gaza Strip, including thousands of children.
At the beginning of their meeting, in which the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo, also participated, Sánchez assured him that “Spain shares the pain” of the Israelis for the attack carried out by the Islamic Resistance Movement on the 7th. October, which left more than 1,200 dead, including two Spaniards, and has welcomed the imminent truce that will allow the release of some of the hostages.
Israel has the right to defend itself, the president has once again maintained, but “the response cannot involve the death of innocent civilians in Gaza, including thousands of children,” he claimed, insisting on the need to protect civilians “at any cost.” whatever it costs.” According to the balance sheet of the Gazan authorities, to date the Israeli bombings have left more than 14,000 dead, of which more than 5,000 are children.
Sánchez has defended that we must put an end to the “humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the terrible suffering of the Palestinians”, betting on a lasting humanitarian truce and the sustained entry of assistance to the Strip to prevent people from dying of hunger in this territory.
The president has indicated to Herzog that Spain considers that the Palestinian Authority is the one who should “assume responsibility” for Gaza once hostilities cease with the support of the international community. “To achieve this, diplomacy must begin,” he stressed, betting on the realization of the two-state solution.
viable Palestinian state
In his opinion, “this is the best way to defeat terrorism” and to guarantee Israel’s long-term security. The president has taken the opportunity to reiterate his proposal for an international peace conference “as soon as possible” to allow progress towards a solution that includes “the establishment of a viable Palestinian State.”
“Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live in peace and security, but we need the commitment of the international community for this to happen,” concluded Sánchez, who is now meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
De Croo has acknowledged that on October 7 “we saw things that one never imagined they would ever see” and has made it clear that “anti-Semitism is not acceptable.” He has also hoped that the imminent pause is a step towards the release of the hostages but also “towards respect for International Humanitarian Law.”
The Belgian Prime Minister has stressed that the international community is counting on Israel to guarantee the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to ensure that “everything possible is done to avoid additional deaths” as a result of the situation in the Gaza Strip. Strip, under Israeli siege after the attack and to which humanitarian assistance and now also fuel can only enter, although in limited quantities, through the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
In turn, the Israeli president has assured that for his country the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “very important” and that measures are being taken to improve it together with the UN and other countries, including the deployment of field hospitals and an increase in the supply of food and medicine.
“We hope that this pause will allow us to both improve the situation and ensure the Israeli military operation,” added Herzog, recalling that Israel’s ultimate objective is to “eradicate the capabilities of Hamas and change the future of Gaza and its inhabitants, as well as the well-being and security of Israelis.
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