- Pedro Sanchez: Gaza represents ‘one of the darkest episodes in international relations’ of this century
- His country is calling on Europe to take tougher action against Israel.
LONDON: The West’s double standards over Ukraine and Gaza threaten its global standing, Spain’s prime minister has told The Guardian.
Pedro Sanchez, who has accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, spoke ahead of talks with his British counterpart Keir Starmer in London on Wednesday.
Sanchez said he was pleased that other European countries were following Spain’s lead and recognising a Palestinian state, but criticised the continent’s overall response to the war.
“It’s a failure,” he said. “Absolutely. And the reality is that there are countries within the EU that disagree on how to influence Israel.”
“But in my view, this is unacceptable, and we cannot continue like this if we want to enhance our credibility when it comes to other crises, such as the one we are facing in Ukraine.”
He added: “The roots of these wars are completely different, but at the end of the day the world looks at the EU and at Western society and asks: ‘Why do you have double standards when it comes to Ukraine and when it comes to Gaza?’”
Sanchez said he was calling on Europe to take tougher measures against Israel, including financial ones.
“What we are now seeing in the Gaza Strip is perhaps one of the darkest episodes in international relations in the 21st century, and in this regard I must say that Spain has been very vocal both in the EU and in the international community,” he added.
“In the EU, we have so far advocated for the suspension of the EU’s strategic partnership with Israel.”