A far-left Spanish minister warned national companies that work in Israel about the "risk of this to contribute to the genocide in Palestine", which caused criticism from the Israeli embassy in the country, and the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs distanced itself from what was said, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
In a letter addressed to the companies and distributed through a ministry press release, Social Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy calls on Spanish businesses in Israel to present in detail the measures they are taking to avoid "the harm that their activities may cause".
Bustinduy, a member of the far-left formation "Sumar", insists that these activities "should not contribute to the gross violations of human rights committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories", with the "risk of contributing to genocide in Palestine".
The statement provoked a sharp reaction from the Israeli embassy in Spain, which said "it categorically rejects the false accusations of some ministers, intellectuals and the media that Israel is committing genocide.
"Demonizing and delegitimizing Israel through baseless accusations gives wings to "Hamas" and to those who want the disappearance of the Israeli state, and are clear incitement to hatred and anti-Semitism," the diplomatic representation stressed.
In a letter sent to AFP, Spain's foreign ministry distanced itself from Pablo Bustinduy's actions and said it had not been informed of the document sent to the companies. It added that Bustinduy was not speaking on behalf of the government.
The term "genocide" has been used several times in the past few months by ministers from far-left parties allied to Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. However, this is its first use in an official document.
Bustinduy did this at a time when Sánchez, considered the most outspoken critic of Israel in the EU, is seeking to attract other European countries to the idea of recognizing a Palestinian state - something Spain does not rule out doing unilaterally, notes France Press.
"Hamas" carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,170 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official figures.
In the military operation launched by Israel in response, 34,844 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, according to information from "Hamas", which has not been independently verified. The offensive has led to a humanitarian catastrophe and destruction in the Palestinian territory, according to AFP.