BRUSSELS — Relations between the European Union and Israel plummeted on the eve of diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state by EU members Ireland and Spain, with Madrid suggesting that sanctions should be considered against Israel for its continued attacks in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza.
Israeli Foreign Minister Katz told Spain that its consulate in Jerusalem will not be able to help the Palestinians.
At the same time, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, a Spaniard, threw his weight behind the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including the leaders of Hamas.
“The court’s prosecutor has been heavily intimidated and accused of anti-Semitism,” Borrell said. “The word anti-Semitic is too heavy. It’s too important.”
Angry words abounded on Monday, with Katz accusing Spain of “rewarding terrorism” by recognizing a Palestinian state and saying that “the days of the Inquisition are over.” He referred to the infamous Spanish institution started in the 15th century to maintain Roman Catholic orthodoxy that forced Jews and Muslims to flee, convert to Catholicism, or, in some cases, face death.
“No one will force us to convert our religion or threaten our existence; those who harm us, we will harm them in return,” Katz said.
Although the EU and its member countries have been steadfast in condemning the Hamas-led attack on October 7 in which militants stormed across the Gaza border into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage, the bloc He has been equally critical of Israel’s subsequent offensive. offensive that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The latest attacks have focused on Rafah, where Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 people on Sunday, hit tents for displaced people and left “numerous” others trapped in burning rubble.
The UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice, on Friday demanded that Israel immediately halt its offensive on Rafah, even if it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire in the Gaza enclave.
“Israel has to stop its offensive in Rafah,” said Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.
Spain, Ireland and non-EU member Norway plan to make their recognition of a Palestinian state official on Tuesday. Their joint announcement last week sparked an angry response from Israeli authorities, who summoned both countries’ ambassadors in Tel Aviv to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, where they were filmed being shown videos of the October 7 Hamas attack and kidnapping. .
Albares criticized the treatment given to the ambassadors. “We reject something that is not within diplomatic courtesy and the customs of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” he said.
“But at the same time we have also agreed that we will not fall into any provocation that takes us away from our objective,” he added. “Our goal is to recognize the State of Palestine tomorrow, make every effort to achieve a permanent ceasefire as soon as possible and also, in the end, achieve that final peace.”
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