Israel’s just and necessary war in the Gaza Strip has aroused criticism from even some of its friends. The high Palestinian death toll, plus the humanitarian crisis brought on by Israel’s current offensive to ensure that Hamas’ military and governing capabilities are destroyed, have produced stark photographs and videos that have tarnished its image.
Foreign governments are entitled to their opinions regarding Israel’s policies, but they should be reasonably framed and free of anti-Zionist or antisemitic animus.
A few days ago, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged Israel to end the war, saying that the “humanitarian situation” in Gaza is “increasingly dramatic and unjustifiable.” In previous statements, she called for a ceasefire, the release of the remaining hostages, and the end of Israel’s aid blockade.
Most recently, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was “troubled” by the scale of suffering in Gaza.
No decent person can object to such critiques if they are well-meaning and grounded in factual accuracy. But alarm bells sound when critics go beyond this framework.
Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, ventured past a red line the other day when he gratuitously condemned Israel as a “genocidal state.”
Sanchez is a known critic of Israeli policy with respect to the Palestinians, and he has every right to voice his opinions. But his latest broadside against Israel is far more than conventional criticism. It is a condemnation of Israel per se.
Israel launched its offensive against Hamas in 2023 with the express intention of removing it from power and depriving it of the ability to launch another attack of the magnitude of October 7. Israelis are divided over many issues, but they agree that Hamas is a malevolent force that must be vanquished once and for all.
Israel did not go to war to eradicate the Palestinians as a people. Israel, therefore, cannot be tarred with the brush of genocide. If Israel was really a “genocidal state,” as Sanchez incorrectly claims, every Israeli citizen of Palestinian descent would be in dire danger, which is most certainly not the case.
It is clear that Sanchez has a simplistic and crude understanding of the conflict in Gaza.
Palestinian civilians there have indeed borne the brunt of this war, but they can blame Hamas and its sister organization, Islamic Jihad, for the tragedy that has befallen Gaza. This war was started by Hamas when it attacked Israel on October 7, killing roughly 1,200 people and abducting 251 Israelis and foreigners.
Israel had a duty and an obligation to react strongly to the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. In responding to Hamas’ attack, Israel was understandably bent on eradicating Hamas. We should never forget that Hamas is an Iranian proxy whose leaders are ideologically committed to Israel’s destruction. Hamas represents the rejectionist strain in the Palestinian national movement.
During this war and previous wars, Hamas’ cynical strategy was based on placing command posts, rocket launchers and arms depots in residential neighborhoods and using civilians as human shields. Viewed in this light, it was inevitable that Palestinian civilian casualties would be heavy.
The war that Israel is currently waging is an existential struggle to maintain its security and its existence as a Jewish state. It surely is not a campaign of genocide.
In branding Israel with this erroneous and appalling moniker, Sanchez discredited himself as a politician who can be taken seriously.
He has stained his reputation and marred Spain’s international image.