The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has criticized Europe and the West’s double standards over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
During an interview with the Guardian on Wednesday, Sánchez warned that the West’s reaction to Israel’s war on Gaza threatens to weaken its global credibility, describing the response as one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century.
Double Standards
“It is a failure. Absolutely. It is also the reality that, within the European Union, there are countries that are divided when it comes to how to influence Israel. But in my opinion, it’s not acceptable and we can’t last longer if we want to increase our credibility when it comes to other crises, such as the one we face in Ukraine,” he said.
Sánchez pointed to the West’s double standards when dealing with the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. “The roots of these wars are completely different but, at the end of the day, the world is looking at the EU and also at western society and asking: ‘Why are you doing double standards when it comes to Ukraine and when it comes to Gaza?’” he noted.
Pressuring Israel
Spain, along with Norway and Ireland, officially recognized the State of Palestine in May 2024. In the light of this, the Spanish Prime Minister expressed his pleasure that several European countries have decided to follow Spain’s lead in recognizing Palestinian Statehood.
Furthermore, Sánchez was the first senior European leader to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza. He told the Guardian that he was pressing Europe to take more forceful action against Israel, including economic pressure.
“What we’re now witnessing in Gaza is perhaps one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century, and in this regard what I have to say is that Spain has been very vocal within the EU and also within the international community,” he said.
“Within the EU, what we have done so far is advocate to suspend the strategic partnership that the EU has with Israel,” the Spanish Prime Minister added.
