“I hope and demand that the Israeli Government clarify as soon as possible the circumstances of this brutal attack that has claimed the lives of seven aid workers who were doing nothing but helping”, demanded Pedro Sánchez yesterday during the visit to the Palestinian refugee camp Jabal al-Hussein in Amman, the capital of Jordan, with more than 30,000 inhabitants.
The President of the Spanish Government declared himself “horrified” by the new attack by Israel that caused the death in Gaza of seven aid workers from the oenagé of the Spanish chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen, which tries to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and food that the Palestinian population lives in the strip.
Sánchez, who has maintained a close relationship with José Andrés for years, immediately contacted the popular chef to directly convey his condolences and “all the affection and support”. “Your solidarity, altruism and commitment to the people who need it most is a matter of pride”, the Spanish president told him, and conveyed the support of the central government.
WCK stated that its team – collaborators from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Palestine and one with dual US-Canadian nationality – traveled through a “non-conflict zone” in three vehicles with the oenagé logo , two armored. The convoy was to be attacked as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, in the center of the enclave, where aid workers had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid that had arrived in Gaza a few hours earlier through the established maritime corridor.
Rain on wet, in any case, due to Sánchez’s repeated warnings to the Israeli Government. The head of the Executive took advantage of the visit to a Palestinian refugee school managed by UNRWA, a UN organization also questioned by Israel and to which the Spanish president conveyed all his support, to make “another call for the definitive cessation of the hostilities” in Gaza, as well as “the release of all the hostages” that Hamas has kidnapped since October.
“It is urgent that the cease-fire that the United Nations Security Council demanded last week be implemented and that it is binding, but it must also be a permanent cease-fire,” requested Sánchez. “It is the necessary step to pave the way for a political process that definitively puts an end to this conflict”, urgently requested the head of the Executive.
“A process that leads to the real and effective materialization of the two-state solution, which involves the recognition of the Palestinian State for those of us who have not yet done so, and the full recognition of Israel by the entire community international”, he insisted.
Sánchez already announced on the eve that he intends for Spain, in the company of other countries of the European Union, to recognize the Palestinian State before the summer.
“Spain – remarked Sánchez – will spare no effort to achieve the goal of achieving a peace that allows Israel and Palestine to live together in peace and security”.
Sánchez’s new tour in the Middle East continues in the midst of an escalation of tension in the region, after Israel’s attacks killed the volunteers of chef José Andrés’ oenagé, and on the eve also several Iranian military commands in the residence of the ambassador in Damascus. Iran has already announced that this attack will not go unanswered.
Precisely the fear of a regional escalation of the conflict was one of the alerts about which Sánchez warned the king of Jordan, Abdullah II. Government sources warned that it is an increasingly real danger. The Jordanian monarch, who received the Spanish president in audience at the palace, assessed very positively his position in the face of this crisis and called for urgent action by the international community so that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza by land. The situation on the ground, warned Sánchez, is much worse than you can imagine. And not only in Gaza, but it is also starting to be the case in the West Bank.
In the afternoon, Sánchez continued his tour of the Middle East, with a second stop in Jidda (Saudi Arabia). The Spanish president held a meeting with the crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman, and today he will culminate the journey in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where he will hold meetings with the highest authorities of the emirate.
