Spanish PM calls out Western ‘double standards’ on Gaza at Nato summit
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has used his speech at NATO’s 75th-anniversary summit in Washington to call out the West’s “double standards” regarding the conflict in Gaza as he joined fellow Nato leaders in offering continued support to Ukraine.
Spain recently recognised a Palestinian state and has criticised Israel’s conduct in its war in Gaza. The Spanish stance has angered Israel and its right-wing government.
“If we are telling our people that we are supporting Ukraine because we are defending the international law, this is the same to what we have to do towards Gaza,” he said at the summit.
He said there should be a “consistent political position” in which “we don’t have double standards”.
Sanchez said the world needed to press to “stop this terrible humanitarian crisis” affecting the Palestinians and called for an international peace conference to push for a Palestinian state.
“We need to create the conditions for an immediate and urgent ceasefire,” he said. “There is a real risk of escalation to Lebanon.”
Sanchez said he also supported “democracy, freedom and the right to exist of a country such as Ukraine”.
🚨BREAKING: The State of Palestine will be recognised, declares the PMs of Spain & Norway‼️
— Dr Lens Veritatis (@LensVeritatis) April 12, 2024
“With this we bear witness to the historic commitment of what the international community can achieve…It's time to move from words to actions” Spanish PM#Gaza #Israel #Palestine pic.twitter.com/GmV11H557J