00:00Europe has a lot of countries that have quietly criticized Israel.
00:04Spain is not one of those countries.
00:07Spain is loud, Spain is consistent, and right now, Spain is furious.
00:12As Israel's bombardment of Lebanese territory intensifies, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose
00:18Manuel Alvarez did not hold back.
00:21Speaking to reporters before walking into a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus,
00:25he delivered a line that cut straight to the heart of the entire conflict.
00:30He said,
00:31Israel has the right to its state in peace and security, but the Palestinian people and
00:37the Lebanese people have exactly that same right.
00:41Simple, direct, and for many watching, long overdue.
00:45But Alvarez did not stop there.
00:48He went after Israel's decision to declare southern Lebanon a war zone and demand that
00:53all residents leave the area.
00:55He called it completely unacceptable.
00:58And he went one step further, saying it is contrary to international law.
01:03Think about what that means coming from an EU foreign minister standing outside an official
01:09EU summit.
01:10This is not a tweet.
01:11This is not a protest.
01:13This is a senior diplomat of a major European nation formally accusing Israel of violating
01:19international law, on camera, before walking into a room full of his European counterparts.
01:25That is significant.
01:27But here's the thing.
01:28If you know the history between Spain and Israel, none of this is surprising, because
01:33Spain has been on a collision course with Tel Aviv for over a year now, and the confrontations
01:38have been escalating every single time.
01:41It started in late 2023, when Spain, under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, became one of
01:47the first and loudest EU voices calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
01:51While other European nations were carefully balancing their language, Spain was not balancing
01:57anything.
01:58Then, in May 2024, Spain made history.
02:02Alongside Ireland and Norway, Spain formally recognized Palestine as an independent state.
02:08Israel immediately recalled its ambassador from Madrid.
02:12The diplomatic relationship cracked openly for the first time.
02:16Israel called it a reward for terrorism.
02:19Spain called it international law and basic human rights.
02:23It did not end there.
02:25Spain pushed hard within the EU to suspend the EU-Israel Trade Association Agreement, citing
02:31violations of human rights clauses.
02:33It backed ICC proceedings against Israeli leadership.
02:36And Sanchez personally called out what he described as genocide in Gaza, at a time when most European
02:42leaders were still avoiding that word entirely.
02:46Israel responded by accusing Spain of anti-Semitism, of siding with Hamas, of endangering the region.
02:53Spain responded by not changing a single position.
02:56And now, here we are.
02:58Lebanon is being bombed.
03:00Civilians are being ordered out of the south.
03:03And Spain's foreign minister is standing outside an EU summit, calling it illegal in front of the cameras.
03:10The question now is whether Spain remains a lone loud voice or whether this EU meeting in Cyprus marks the
03:16moment more European nations finally start saying out loud what many have been saying behind closed doors.
03:22Because if Spain has shown anything over the last two years, it is that when Madrid decides to take a
03:28position, it does not flinch.
03:31And right now, Madrid is staring directly at Tel Aviv, and it is not blinking.
03:37Chad, yes, we can.
03:42But there was a wonderful Cesi Media Group to tell you that's harshly tv, today with the teяли big knowledge
03:45and niche of the country in Washington America.
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03:46Erica, home��, datant of my partner with him.
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