He regrets that some demonstrations are not clear if they are in support of Hamas and assures that he also receives expressions of solidarity
The Israeli ambassador in Madrid, Rodica Radian-Gordon, has assured that her country has already “turned the page” regarding the diplomatic incident with the Spanish Government due to the statements of some of its members, although she wanted to make it clear that they are concerned that may encourage anti-Semitism.
“We have turned the page,” he said in a telematic meeting with journalists. “We already said what we had to say,” she said when asked about the last words of the Minister of Social Rights and leader of Podemos, Ione Belarra, who asked this Wednesday to break relations with Israel.
The ambassador has assured that her country does not want to “be part of Spanish internal politics” and that is precisely what she wanted to make clear with her statement on Monday, in which she “strongly” condemned the “immoral” statements aligning herself with the terrorist group Hamas carried out by “certain members” of the Spanish Government.
Likewise, they have indicated that they are “satisfied” with the response offered by the Government, after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, made it clear yesterday that in foreign policy the only “authorized voices” are his own and that of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.
However, he stressed that these types of statements “have a result that worries us a lot” such as the increase in incidents of anti-Semitism. “It is something very worrying,” the ambassador admitted, stressing that in the past the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has caused anti-Semitic demonstrations.
In this sense, after highlighting the will expressed by the Government to combat anti-Semitism, he trusted that “it will do everything possible so that there are no more manifestations not only of anti-Semitism, but also expressions of hate and statements that are not appropriate.”
Regarding the demonstrations in support of the Palestinians, he stressed that “it is not always clear if they are in favor of Hamas”, but he has also highlighted that equally “we see many demonstrations in favor of Israel.”
The ambassador has assured that the “solarity” that Israel received after the “barbarities of October 7” has not ended and she continues to receive “many calls and many expressions of support from many Spaniards.”
“There are hostile statements, but many Spaniards convey other feelings to me and I am sure that this does not only happen in Spain, but also in other EU countries,” she highlighted.
The ambassador has not been able to provide details about the situation of the Spanish Iván Illarramendi, who yesterday both the Government and Israel confirmed that he is kidnapped by Hamas, beyond pointing out that the Israeli Executive has a liaison person in charge of the hostage issue — There are about 200– and in contact with relatives and the governments of foreign citizens.
Regarding the eventual departure from the Gaza Strip of the more than a hundred Spaniards who are trapped there, Radica-Gordon has hoped that there may be news soon, since it is something that has been discussed for several days. with Egypt, the only country with a border crossing with the coastal territory, besides Israel.
