King Felipe VI said on Wednesday that Spain finds it difficult to ‘understand’ the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, and urged the world not to ‘remain silent’ or ‘look the other way’ in the face of the devastation there.
‘We cry out, we implore, we demand: stop this massacre now,’ he said before the United Nations General Assembly in New York. ALSO READ: Felipe VI denounces ‘unspeakable suffering’ and ‘total devastation’ of Gaza.
The king was tasked with opening Wednesday’s session on the second day of the General Assembly, which marks its 80th anniversary. In a speech defending the UN’s role in diplomacy and multilateralism, Felipe VI highlighted the ‘brutality’ of conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and the ‘devastation’ in Gaza. ALSO READ: Sánchez demands end to ‘barbarism’ in Gaza and calls for Palestine’s full UN membership.
He said the world was being ‘ravaged by conflict in far too many regions’, adding that ‘we see it, in all its rawness, in the Middle East – in Palestine, in the Gaza Strip’.
‘We cannot remain silent, nor look the other way, in the face of devastation and bombings, even of hospitals, schools, or places of refuge; in the face of so many civilian deaths; or in the famine and forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people … with what destination?’ he continued.
‘These are abhorrent acts, utterly at odds with everything this [UN] forum represents. They offend the conscience of humanity and shame the entire international community,’ he said.
‘Spain is a nation profoundly proud of its Sephardic roots,’ said Felipe VI. ‘When we speak to the people of Israel, we are speaking to a people of brothers – a people who, when they return to Spain – to Córdoba, Toledo, Seville, Barcelona, and so many other places – return to their home.’
‘That was the spirit that inspired the law, passed in 2015 with broad consensus, that granted Spanish nationality to the descendants of Sephardic Jews from Spain. That is why it pains us so deeply, why it is so hard for us to understand what the Israeli government is doing in the Gaza Strip.’
‘That is why we cry out, we implore, we demand: stop this massacre now. No more deaths in the name of such an ancient and wise people, who have already suffered so much throughout history,’ the monarch said.
‘Let us be clear: we utterly condemn the heinous terrorism of Hamas, and in particular the brutal massacre of 7 October 2023, against the Israeli population,’ Felipe VI said.
‘We recognise Israel’s right to defend itself,’ he continued. ‘But with equal firmness, we demand that the government of Israel apply international humanitarian law in Gaza and the West Bank without reservation. We demand that humanitarian aid be allowed through without delay, that a ceasefire with credible guarantees be established, and that all hostages still cruelly held by Hamas be released immediately.’
Recognition of the State of Palestine has become a defining issue at this year’s UN General Assembly – a decision that in recent days has been supported by dozens of countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia,and Canada, but rejected by both Israel and the United States. US President Donald Trump argued that recognising a Palestinian state was ‘too high a reward for the terrorists of Hamas’.
‘The international community must shoulder its responsibility to make viable, as soon as possible, a solution that ensures the existence of two states,’ Felipe VI said on Wednesday. ‘The recognition of the State of Palestine by a growing number of members of our [UN] Organisation – joined by Spain this past May – must help achieve a just and definitive regional peace, based on the implementation of United Nations resolutions and also on the universal recognition of the State of Israel.’
A full transcript (in Spanish) of Felipe VI’s speech can be found here.
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El rey dice ante la ONU que cuesta “comprender” las acciones de Israel en Gaza: “Exigimos que detengan esta masacre”
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