Spanish PM calls for Israel to be barred from international sport

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on Israel to exclude Israel from international sports competitions because of its actions in Gaza.

“Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whiten its image.”

He said that Israel should be treated in the same way as Russia because of its widely invaded Ukraine in 2022.

On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon called on the Spanish Prime Minister, “A Shao”, accused him of inciting the protests supporting the Palestinians in Madrid, which caused the cancellation of the last stage of the Voelta Aspian bike riding in Spain, as the Israeli team was competing.

Earlier in the day, Sanchez said that the previous protests during a three -week race showed that Spain “lights up, for example, with pride” on the Gaza issue.

Many Spanish government ministers also praised the protest against the final stage, which included about 100,000 people, according to official figures.

“It is comfortable for me that thousands and thousands of people worship against that genocide, because it is genocide and has no other name,” said Oscar Lopez, Minister of Digital Transformation.

Israel regularly denied that its actions in Gaza reach genocide and say it is justified as a means of self -defense.

Culture Secretary Ernest Ortacon also said that Israel should not participate in the next europhegen song competition, Repeated calls by Sanchez earlier this year.

“We have to make sure that Israel does not participate in the upcoming Eurovision,” said Ortason.

The public broadcasters in Ireland and the Netherlands have already said that they will not participate if Israel is included in the competition, due to the loss of “horrific” and “severe” lives and the human suffering in Gaza.

The relationship between Israel and Spain has been fragile since late 2023, when Sanchez expressed their concerns about civilian deaths in Gaza and some members of his government at the time, called for cutting diplomatic ties.

In 2024, Spain joined Norway and Ireland in recognizing a Palestinian state and last week, Sanchez accused Israel of genocide and announced a series of measures against it, including arms embargo.

Israel’s Saar responded by accusing Sanchez’s administration of being anti -Semitic and using “wild and hateful discourse”.

A survey conducted by Elcano Institute Think Tank indicated at least 82 % of the Spaniards believed that genocide was committed in Gaza.

Two days after Sanchez’s announcement, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Lin, called for free trade and bilateral support with Israel, as she talked about “starvation of man -making” in Gaza.

Von der Lin also regretted what he called Europe’s “painful” deficit to find a sufficient response to Israel’s actions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied that hunger is in Gaza and said that in the event of hunger, the mistake of relief agencies and Hamas.

Israel accused international relief agencies such as the United Nations of not picking up aid awaiting the Gaza border, noting hundreds of trucks sitting inactivity.

In August, IPC, IPC, IPC, He stressed that the famine was taking place in parts of Gaza. Israel is accused of causing famine through continuous food restrictions and medical assistance that enters the region.

Israel controls all border crossings in the Gaza Strip, and the occupied authority is responsible for protecting civil life under international law, which includes the prevention of hunger.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas -led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, where about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others took hostage.

At least 64,871 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health in the region.