The genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza and the illegal military intervention in Iran have put the Spanish right in an uncomfortable mirror. What should have been a debate about human rights and international responsibility has come to nothing.
While Pedro Sánchez’s government has positioned itself as a global leader opposing war and international abuses, figures from the PP and Vox have bet on silence, tepidness, or even their implicit support for governments that have gravely attacked the Palestinian civilian population.
The recent approval of a law in Israel that applies the death penalty exclusively to Palestinians, and the military operations that have caused tens of thousands of deaths, have not only shocked the international community but have also exposed the Spanish right.
The inaction of Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal in the face of events that international bodies characterize as genocide and war crimes has made it clear that the messages of patriotism and defense of human rights that both parties typically proclaim break when faced with the reality of international violence and the interests of strategic allies such as the United States and Israel.
Meanwhile, Pedro Sánchez has taken advantage of the situation to promote his calculated leadership on the international stage. Although the PSOE has increased military spending and made discreet gestures in favor of the United States, the president has managed to differentiate himself clearly: whether out of ethics or electoral calculation, he has taken firm decisions, leading the ‘no to war’ and explicitly criticizing the international aggressions that affect civilian populations.
This stance, almost unheard of among a cowardly international community, has allowed him to present himself as a leading anti-Trump figure.
By contrast, Feijóo took weeks to express a “no to war and no to you,” in reference to Sánchez. Vox, for its part, has shown a similar pattern that compromises its patriotic discourse by remaining silent in the face of policies that could harm Spain, such as the threat of US tariffs.
It should be recalled that during the genocide, more than 65,000 Palestinians were killed, mostly civilians, and many voices that should have denounced these atrocities chose silence or ambiguity.
PHOTOS AND COMPLICITIES
Some figures of the PP, such as José Luis Martínez-Almeida or Feijóo, have been forced to issue brief and late statements acknowledging the suffering of the Palestinian population. However, these gestures come too late and do not compensate for months of political omission.
Even more worrying is the stance of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, who has not uttered a word about the civilians killed and, instead, has used her political time for symbolic acts such as posing for photos with the Israeli cycling team.
Additionally, in several statements, Ayuso accused those who criticized the bombings of antisemitism, attempting to close the debate under the alibi of historical victimhood, while images of hospitals, schools and refugee camps razed to the ground speak for themselves.
In parallel, Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox, has reinforced his Islamophobic narrative, presenting the conflict solely as a struggle against the ‘Islamic terrorism’. This simplistic view allows him to ignore the massive violence against the Palestinian population without committing to human rights.
