Summoned envoys from 3 nations recognizing Palestinian state shown new Oct. 7 footage
Spanish, Norwegian and Irish ambassadors view hostage-taking clip before being reprimanded; Spanish far-left minister slammed for saying ‘Palestine will be free from river to sea’
The Foreign Ministry dressed down the Spanish, Norwegian and Irish ambassadors to Israel on Thursday as part of Jerusalem’s protest against their countries’ decision to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state in the coming days.
Ana Sálomon Pérez of Spain, Per Egil Selvaag of Norway and Ireland’s Sonya McGuinness were made to watch a video showing five female soldiers from a base on Nahal Oz being taken captive on October 7, an Israeli diplomatic official said, a video that was broadcast to the public for the first time on Wednesday evening.
The video footage, released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, was taken by body cameras worn by Hamas terrorists as they attacked the base near the Gaza border, and shows Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy, all five of whom are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
After the screening, the three were dressed down by senior diplomats, although Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who ordered that they be hauled in for the reprimand and screening, was away on a diplomatic trip to France and so was not present.
He had previously said that showing them the footage would “underscore to them what a twisted decision their governments made.”
The Kan public broadcaster reported that the screening of the footage was just one of several ways that Israel planned to retaliate against the diplomats for their countries’ recognition of a Palestinian state. According to the report, the government was also considering banning them from briefings.
Following the viewing, the Ynet news site reported that Sálomon Pérez condemned the “shocking” footage and vowed that Spain remains a friend to Israel.
Tensions have cropped up between Jerusalem and Madrid in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught and the ongoing war in Gaza, where Israel is fighting to dismantle the Palestinian terror group’s capabilities.
In November 2023, then-foreign minister Eli Cohen recalled Israel’s ambassador after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had “serious doubt” over the legality of Israel’s war with Hamas.
Spain’s ambassador to Israel was also summoned for a reprimand over that incident.
Several Spanish lawmakers have also come under fire from Jewish and Israeli groups in recent months for anti-Israel or antisemitic statements, including Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego, who on October 16 said that Palestinians had the “right to resist after decades of occupation” and called for “the entire Israeli diplomatic delegation” to be expelled from Spain.
A second Spanish government minister, Labor and Economy Minister Yolanda Díaz, drew allegations of antisemitism on Thursday after ending a speech about the war between Hamas and Israel by saying, “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea.”
The phrase, which references the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, is viewed by many as antisemitic as they say it promotes a reality in which Israel does not exist as a Jewish homeland and is therefore a call for ethnic cleansing or genocide against Israel’s Jews.
Israel’s embassy in Madrid and the Federation of Spanish Jewish Communities condemned Díaz, who also serves as second deputy prime minister in Sanchez’s government, after she repeated the slogan in a filmed speech Wednesday.
The Jewish group also again slammed Rego, who wrote the slogan on X earlier this month.
Desde el río hasta el mar!! ????????#FreePalestine https://t.co/5N9KHwoAmY
— Sira Rego ???? (@sirarego) May 7, 2024
“Instead of promoting the safety of Spanish Jews, they are encouraging hatred and rejection of them,” the Jewish umbrella group wrote of the two far-left politicians.
The Israeli embassy in Madrid wrote on X that it “completely rejects Yolanda Díaz’s statements.”
The slogan “is a clear call for the destruction of Israel, fomenting hate and violence. Antisemitic statements are incompatible with a democratic society and it is unacceptable coming from a deputy prime minister. We hope Spain will live up to its promise” to fight antisemitism, the post stated.
In her speech, Díaz accused Israel of barbarism and called for the European Union to be pressured “to end its agreements and treaties with Israel.”
Díaz and Rego are members of the far-left Sumar and United Left parties, respectively, which are coalition partners of Sanchez’s Socialist Party.
