Israel in diplomatic dispute with Spain and Belgium over Gaza bombardment

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Israel has turn out to be locked in a diplomatic dispute with Spain and Belgium after it accused the EU international locations of supporting terrorism in response to their prime ministers’ criticism of its bombardment of Gaza.

The Israeli and Spanish overseas ministers exchanged harsh phrases and summoned one another’s ambassadors for reprimands because the dispute spiralled on Friday whereas Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez and his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo continued a go to to the Center East.

Talking in Jerusalem alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Sánchez had stated the variety of civilians killed by Israeli assaults on Gaza was “insufferable”.

And on Friday on the Egyptian facet of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, Spain’s chief stated Israel was not appearing inside the limits of humanitarian regulation. “The indiscriminate killing of harmless civilians, together with 1000’s of girls and boys, [is] utterly unacceptable,” he stated.

His phrases, and related sentiments expressed by De Croo, drew a pointy response from Eli Cohen, Israel’s overseas minister. “We condemn the false claims of the Prime Ministers of Spain and Belgium which assist terrorism,” he wrote on X.

“Israel is appearing in accordance to worldwide regulation and is combating a murderous terrorist organisation worse than Isis, that’s committing battle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity,” Cohen wrote.

Spain was shocked by the Israeli overseas minister’s response, stated one Spanish official. Overseas minister José Manuel Albares in an announcement on Friday night time condemned Israel’s “false, misplaced and unacceptable accusations”.

Albares stated Israel’s response was “particularly severe” as a result of it was aimed on the Spanish prime minister, whose nation holds the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, and the chief of Belgium, which takes over the identical function on January 1.

On the Rafah crossing, De Croo said Israel’s army operation needed to respect worldwide humanitarian regulation. “The killing of civilians must cease now. Approach too many individuals have died,” he stated. “The destruction of Gaza is unacceptable. We can’t settle for {that a} society is destroyed in the way in which it’s being destroyed.”

The diplomatic dispute broke out on the day that Hamas launched 24 hostages who had been held within the Gaza Strip whereas Israel freed 39 Palestinian prisoners as a part of a deal on a ceasefire that is because of final for 4 days.

Referring to the non permanent truce, which follows greater than six weeks of battle, Cohen wrote: “After the pause, we’ll resume fight operations till Hamas’s rule within the Gaza Strip is eradicated and all of the hostages are launched.”

EU international locations and G7 members had been united of their condemnation of Hamas and the October 7 assault that killed about 1,200 Israelis. However they’ve been divided over how a lot strain to placed on Israel to rein in its bombardment and permit humanitarian support into Gaza.

Spain has constantly spoken up for Palestinians and Sánchez on Friday referred to as for the EU to formally recognise the state of Palestine.

Spain’s overseas minister pressured his nation had condemned Hamas, expressed solidarity with its Israeli victims and referred to as for the unconditional launch of all hostages seized by the group that runs Gaza. However he stated that was “not incompatible” with Madrid’s name for Palestinian civilians to be protected.