Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called at the NATO summit for member countries to demand that international law be respected in Gaza in the same way that they demand it be respected in Ukraine. Sánchez warns that applying a “double standard” would be counterproductive and would weaken support for Ukraine. The Atlantic Alliance, however, remains very focused on Ukraine as a priority. While the country attacked by Russia is mentioned more than 60 times in the final communiqué of the summit held in Washington, Gaza is not even mentioned.
Spain took the step of recognising the Palestinian state in May, in a coordinated action with Norway and Ireland. Sánchez defended this decision in Washington at a forum parallel to the summit. “We believe in the need to provide a political horizon for the peoples in the region,” said Sánchez, who believes it is necessary to contribute to creating the conditions for the existence of a Palestinian state “that can coexist in peace and security with its neighbours, especially with Israel.”
During the NATO summit, Sánchez participated in the official agenda, he made a speech at a parallel forum and also held bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers of Norway and Montenegro. The Spanish Prime Minister expressed to his Montenegrin counterpart, Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, Spain’s support for his country’s accession to the European Union, a path that Brussels considers to be in its final phase. Regarding the meeting with the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, Sánchez tweeted afterwards: “We will continue working to make the two-state solution a reality as the only way to achieve a fair and lasting peace in Gaza.”
Sánchez made his allusion to Gaza at the end of his speech in the plenary session of the summit, held behind closed doors. “Finally, I want to insist on the need to pay attention to the South,” he said, according to the text provided by the Spanish delegation. “And we have to do so in a coherent manner. If we demand that international law be respected in Ukraine, we must also demand that it be respected in Gaza. We have always defended that our strength lies in our unity. In a globalised world, this unity has to be accompanied by coherence. We cannot be accused of applying double standards that would weaken our support for Ukraine,” he added.
The Prime Minister repeated this reflection in a public forum parallel to the summit, emphasizing international humanitarian law. “The majority of Spaniards support our efforts regarding Ukraine because we understand what is at stake. It is not only about defending territorial integrity, freedom, the right to exist of a nation, but also respect for a world governed by, let us say, clear principles. And this is also what we defend: democracy, freedom and the right to exist of a country like Ukraine,” he reflected.
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“I think it would be very important for our citizens to understand that what we are defending in Gaza and in Ukraine is not only international law, but that we have a consistent position, consistent political positions, that we do not have double standards,” he continued. “So, if we tell our people that we support Ukraine because we are defending international law. This is the same thing we have to do with Gaza and the war that we are now witnessing in the Middle East. Saying that we support international law, especially international humanitarian law,” which has provoked some timid applause among part of the hundred or so attendees who listened to his speech.
Strengthening the southern flank
Despite the lack of echo that this reference to Gaza had in the joint statement, Sánchez did welcome the fact that the NATO summit had paid greater attention to the southern flank. “NATO’s southern neighbourhood offers opportunities for cooperation on issues of mutual interest. Through our partnerships we aim to foster greater security and stability in the Middle East and Africa, contributing to peace and prosperity in the region,” says the statement by the heads of state and government who participated in the summit.
In Vilnius, NATO began a comprehensive reflection on the threats, challenges and opportunities in the South. At the summit in Washington, it adopted an action plan for “a more solid, strategic and results-oriented approach” that will be updated periodically. “It is a great step for NATO,” said Sánchez in his speech at the public forum, “but this is not the end of the road,” he added, expressing his willingness to increase, with NATO’s commitment, the cooperation efforts already carried out by Spain.
“Spain is one of the closest allies to the South, not only geographically, but also in the intensity of our political, economic and human ties with the region,” Sánchez stressed at the forum. “We have always understood that our well-being depends on that of our neighbours. Today, after two years of work, we have adopted, and this is good news, an action plan to strengthen our rapprochement with the South. This is, as I said, excellent news for the first time that NATO will have a complete, detailed and practical roadmap to work with our partners in the South,” he said.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will appoint a Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, who will coordinate the Alliance’s efforts, with a view to strengthening dialogue, presence, visibility and cooperation instruments.
Among the tasks in which cooperation must be strengthened to combat threats and reinforce security are the instability encouraged by Russia in some Sahel countries, terrorism, illegal immigration mafias, maritime security, disinformation and the fight against climate change, according to the Prime Minister. “Our adversaries do not hesitate to use instability in NATO’s Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods against us. They work with non-state actors to intensify terrorism, maritime insecurity or the consequences of climate change,” he said.
In Washington, Sánchez stressed the importance of NATO’s 75th anniversary, the validity of the Atlantic Alliance and “the value that security entails” for citizens, not only because of wars but also because of multinational terrorist and criminal organisations, cybersecurity and other threats. He also expressed a message of solidarity towards Ukraine for “an absolutely unjustified war”. The Spanish Prime Minister endorsed the message of the previous day by the President of the United States, Joe Biden, that Ukraine was a free and independent country before the war and that it will continue to be so after it.
“This year the summit is taking place in a complex international context, marked by the persistence of Russian aggression in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and instability on the southern flank. Allied countries must send a strong message of unity and cohesion, strengthening the transatlantic link and working for peace,” said the Spanish Prime Minister.
