'Israel' summons Spanish diplomat over minister’s ‘From the River to the Sea’ remarks
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- ‘Israel’ summoned Spain’s chargé d’affaires in Tel Aviv over Spanish Youth Minister Sira Rego’s support for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
- The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations after Spain recognized Palestine in May 2024 and adopted measures critical of ‘Israel’s’ war in Gaza.
‘Israel’ summoned Spain’s chargé d’affaires in Tel Aviv, Francisca Pedrós, on Monday to reprimand her over remarks by Spanish Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego supporting a “free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
The move followed comments Rego made on September 24 at an event in Madrid while presenting Palestinian Ambassador to Spain Fadi Elhusseini.
Rego said Spanish society supports “a free Palestine from the river to the sea” and defended Spain’s position on the conflict, saying the country had stood “on the side of human rights and the Palestinian people.”
The ‘Israeli’ Foreign Ministry said Rego’s remarks were part of what it described as a “systematic anti-Israel policy” pursued by the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The ministry also accused her comments of supporting the elimination of the State of ‘Israel’.
Spain had not immediately issued a public response to the diplomatic reprimand, according to reports.
Rego also described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and accused ‘Israel’ of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
The phrase “from the river to the sea” has competing interpretations. ‘Israel’ and some Jewish organizations describe it as a call for the elimination of the State of ‘Israel’, while Palestinian supporters and other groups use it in calls for Palestinian freedom, rights and self-determination across the territory between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea.
The latest dispute comes amid deteriorating relations between Madrid and Tel Aviv. Spain formally recognized the State of Palestine in May 2024 and has since taken additional measures critical of ‘Israel’s’ conduct in Gaza.
The two countries have also withdrawn their ambassadors, leaving diplomatic relations at the level of chargé d’affaires.
The latest confrontation adds to a series of diplomatic disputes between the two governments over Spain’s position on Palestine and the war in the Gaza Strip.
