{"id":393784,"date":"2025-09-03T05:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T05:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/393784\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T05:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T05:41:10","slug":"sanchez-europes-response-to-war-in-gaza-has-been-a-failure-pedro-sanchez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/393784\/","title":{"rendered":"S\u00e1nchez: Europe\u2019s response to war in Gaza has been a \u2018failure\u2019 | Pedro S\u00e1nchez"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u200bEurope and the west\u2019s double standards over the wars in Ukraine and Gaza threaten to undermine its global standing, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez<\/a>, has warned, describing the response to Israel\u2019s assault on the Palestinian territory as one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the Guardian before talks with UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, in London on Wednesday, the socialist leader also said the US under Donald Trump<\/a> was trying to end the post-second world war, rules-based global order it had originally created.<\/p>\n

He also defended the benefits of migration and blamed traditional rightwing parties for breaking the consensus over the response to the climate emergency by copying the policies of their populist rivals.<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez \u2013 the first senior European leader to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza<\/a> \u2013 said he was pleased that other European nations were following Spain\u2019s lead in recognising a Palestinian state, but accepted Europe\u2019s response had been poor.<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez argued that \u2018our societies are facing global challenges that don\u2019t understand borders, and we need to strengthen our cooperation and collaboration\u2019. Photograph: Denis Doyle\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a failure,\u201d he said. \u201cAbsolutely. It is also the reality that, within the European Union<\/a>, there are countries that are divided when it comes to how to influence Israel. But in my opinion, it\u2019s not acceptable and we can\u2019t last longer if we want to increase our credibility when it comes to other crises, such as the one we face in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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: \u2018Why are you doing double standards when it comes to Ukraine<\/a> and when it comes to Gaza?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking as he attempts to reassert himself on the international stage and move past a series of damaging corruption allegations that have battered his administration and fuelled calls for a snap general election, S\u00e1nchez said he was pushing Europe<\/a> to do more, including punishing Israel financially.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re 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<\/a> has been very vocal within the EU and also within the international community,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin the EU, what we have done so far is advocate to suspend the strategic partnership that the EU has with Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanchez, who has clashed with Donald Trump over Spain\u2019s refusal to meet the US president\u2019s demands to spend 5% of GDP on defence<\/a>, said Spain was a \u201creliable partner\u201d in Nato. He said he was committed to preserving \u201cthe best relationship with the US\u201d, regardless of who was in the White House \u2013 and despite Trump\u2019s isolationist actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith all due respect, we have a pragmatic approach in our relationship with the US,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the same time, I think we have a different vision on how to face the challenges that the world and our societies are facing. And I think there\u2019s a big mistake with leaving the Paris agreement and reducing contributions to aid programmes and to the World Health Organization. But at the end of the day, our societies are facing global challenges that don\u2019t understand borders, and we need to strengthen our cooperation and collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under Trump, the US is weakening the post-war international order, S\u00e1nchez said, \u2018and that\u2019s not going to be positive for US society or for the rest of the world\u2019. Photograph: Denis Doyle\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

But he also said that the US\u2019s withdrawal from global institutions could allow others to play a greater international role.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most shocking reality that we\u2019re facing is that the principal architect of the international order \u2013 which is the US after the second world war \u2013 is now weakening this international order, and that\u2019s something that\u2019s not going to be positive for US society or for the rest of the world, especially western countries,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is why I think there\u2019s an opportunity for the European Union and also for the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that while still being loyal to the \u201ctransatlantic bond\u201d, European countries could strengthen their power and influence \u2013 if they acted morally and consistently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it mean? It means that we need to avoid these double standards. It means that we need to reinforce our commitment when it comes to the green pact. It means that we need to have a humanitarian and moral vision \u2013 and also a pragmatic one \u2013 when it comes to migration.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cIn politics, as in life, when you leave a gap, there\u2019s always someone who\u2019s going to fill it. And I believe that that\u2019s what we\u2019re also witnessing when it comes to some eastern Asian countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s meeting in London will be the first significant bilateral summit between the two countries\u2019 leaders for more than a decade. It was made possible by the UK and Spain striking a deal over Gibraltar\u2019s future<\/a>, ending the long-running dispute over the territory after Brexit and easing the movement of people and goods across the border.<\/p>\n

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While Starmer and his Labour government have taken an increasingly hard line on immigration, S\u00e1nchez has been forthright about the benefits<\/a> it can bring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dilemma that western societies are facing is whether we decide to be an opening-up and growing society, or a closing-off and shrinking society,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so far, I believe that the vast majority of citizens in Spain understand quite well that migration is also an opportunity and not only a moral duty. It\u2019s an opportunity to respond effectively to the challenges that we are facing when it comes to economic growth and when it comes to the labour market or helping to finance our welfare state in the present and the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez warned that rightwing politicians are adopting far-right narratives and \u2018trying to transform the scientific evidence on climate change into ideological and political struggles\u2019. Photograph: Denis Doyle\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez, who announced a 10-point plan earlier this week to help Spain mitigate the effects of the climate emergency<\/a>, also warned that efforts to tackle the crisis were being undermined by rightwing parties adopting the far right\u2019s narratives in the hope of electoral gain.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, there\u2019s a far right that denies the reality of the climate emergency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem that we\u2019re now facing is that there are traditional rightwing parties that perhaps don\u2019t deny the scientific reality, but which act and behave as if climate change doesn\u2019t exist. And this is the biggest problem. I think that traditional rightwing parties \u2013 not the far right \u2013 trying to transform the scientific evidence on climate change into ideological and political struggles is the biggest mistake that rightwing parties are committing. And this is something we\u2019re facing in Spain.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was speaking after the UK Conservative party said it will aim to \u201cmaximise extraction\u201d of oil and gas in the North Sea if it wins power, copying Trump\u2019s \u201cdrill, baby, drill\u201d election slogan.<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez, whose party, administration and family have faced a slew of damaging corruption allegations over recent months that have threatened to topple his minority government<\/a>, said he was committed to cracking down on graft, and to transparency.<\/p>\n

Asked whether he had confidence in Spain\u2019s justice system given his claims that his wife is the victim of a rightwing and far-right judicial smear campaign, he said: \u201cThe large majority of judges in Spain fulfil their obligations and do their jobs \u2026 But there are some judges that are playing politics, and that\u2019s a reality we\u2019re facing not only in Spain but also in many other democracies \u2013 especially when it comes to progressive forces or progressive governments.\u201d<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez said his minority government was delivering economically and socially and would continue to do so. \u201cOf course these corruption scandals were very difficult for us to accept, but the political project is broader, and I think the most important message that I\u2019d like to explain to my citizens is that the direction of the country that we started seven years ago is the correct one, and it\u2019s not an abstract one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said the opposition parties offered no real alternative, only \u201ca regression\u201d, adding: \u201cWhat we\u2019re witnessing in Spain is the political collapse of the traditional party, not only in substance, but also in style, because it\u2019s copying the far right.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u200bEurope and the west\u2019s double standards over the wars in Ukraine and Gaza threaten to undermine its global…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":393785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[12,26],"class_list":{"0":"post-393784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-news","9":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115138768644944113","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=393784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/393785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=393784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=393784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=393784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}