By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) – Spain’s foreign minister responded Monday to a claim by Israel that his country has become "a paradise for sowing hatred," saying it is a "country of tolerance."
Speaking to public broadcaster RTVE, Jose Manuel Albares said the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s remarks are "out of place."
"Spain is a country of tolerance, where one has freedom of expression, and any form of incitement to hatred, of course including anti-Semitism, is not only widely rejected, but is in the Penal Code," Albares said.
"If someone believes that any crime of incitement to hatred or anti-Semitism has been committed, they can contact the Public Prosecutor's Office," he said, underlining that Madrid "has a plan against anti-Semitism."
Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a statement over the weekend expressing outrage over Spain's reaction to pro-Palestine demonstrations in the capital Madrid on Sunday organized by groups including the Masar Badil Movement, which Israel regards as being linked to Hamas.
"We are outraged and saddened that Spain has become a paradise for sowing hatred and inciting the destruction of Israel," the ministry said. "It is unacceptable that a democratic society allows the apology of terrorism and the celebration of crimes against humanity perpetrated by Hamas.”
Albares reiterated that Spain rejects the "brutal terrorist attack by Hamas" on Oct. 7, 2023, and has again called for this horrible war to end."
He also condemned Israel's actions since then, including "bombing civilian infrastructure, be it hospitals, places of worship, or UN headquarters; failing to distinguish between the fight against terrorism and the bombing of civilians; (and) deliberately not allowing humanitarian aid to reach civilians."
"Clearly, we have condemned it, and we condemn it again," he added.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Nearly 42,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 97,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.