The latest diplomatic clash comes after Israel detained Spanish-Palestinian Saif Abu Keshek, saying he is a leading member of a group accused of being affiliated with Hamas
Spain summoned Israel’s top envoy in Madrid to protest the “unacceptable and intolerable” detention of a Spanish activist from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the foreign minister said Thursday.
The countries’ latest diplomatic clash came after an Israeli court extended until Sunday the detention of Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, as well as another activist, Brazilian Thiago Avila, snubbing international demands for their release.
Israel has accused both men of being affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), a group accused by Washington of “clandestinely acting on behalf of” Palestinian terror group Hamas.
On Wednesday, “we again summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires to convey to her how unacceptable and intolerable it is to extend the detention of our citizen,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told parliament.
The Global Sumud Flotilla was the second initiative in a year aiming to break an Israeli naval blockade on war-ravaged Gaza, which rights groups say has suffered shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion and massacre in southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza, though Israel has touted increased aid.
The flotilla’s vessels with 170 activists had set sail from France, Spain, and Italy, and were intercepted off the coast of Crete, hundreds of nautical miles (over 1,000 kilometers) from Israel. Except Avila and Abu Keshek, all the activists were freed last Friday in Greece.
The Foreign Ministry says Abu Keshek was a leading member of PCPA and that Avila was also linked to the group and was “suspected of illegal activity.”
The two have been on a hunger strike since their arrest, according to Israeli rights group Adalah, which is representing them. On Wednesday, Adalah said Abu Keshek had also started refusing water.
Rights groups argue that the arrests were illegal and that the men have suffered abuse in jail.
Israeli authorities have rejected the abuse allegations and have yet to file charges against them.
Relations between Spain and Israel have plummeted since Madrid began heavily criticizing Jerusalem over the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror atrocities in Israel.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called Israel’s subsequent military campaign against Hamas in Gaza a “genocide” — a charge that Israel firmly denies.
Israel recalled its ambassador after Madrid recognized a Palestinian state in 2024, while Spain formally dismissed its own top envoy in Tel Aviv in March.
In a further blow to ties on Thursday, Sanchez presented the Order of Civil Merit to Francesca Albanese, the controversial UN special rapporteur on human rights in the West Bank and Gaza, who has been accused of antisemitism and extremist rhetoric against Israel.
Sanchez presented the award to Albanese, an Italian, in Madrid “for her extensive work documenting and denouncing the violations of international law in Gaza,” his office said in a statement.
Washington announced sanctions on Albanese, who has long accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, for “biased and malicious” criticism of the United States and Israel.
Sanchez asked the European Commission on Wednesday to prevent US sanctions on Albanese from being implemented in the bloc, his office added.
France and Germany have also called for her resignation over remarks in which she referred to a “common enemy of humanity.” Albanese denies that the phrase referred to Israel.
Reference Link:- https://www.timesofisrael.com/spain-summons-israeli-envoy-to-protest-detention-of-spanish-flotilla-activist/