Spain pledges to pursue justice for Israeli crimes in Gaza at ICJ, ICC

Spain's foreign minister said that the Spanish government "is doing everything possible" to ensure crimes committed in Gaza "do not go unpunished."

In an interview with Spanish broadcaster RTVE, Jose Manuel Albares was asked how Spain will respond to what's happened in Gaza, which Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described on Sunday as "mass murder."

Israeli forces have killed more than 47,500 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.

"That's why we've joined the South African case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ); it's why we sent voluntary contributions to the International Criminal Court (ICC) so it can investigate crimes that may have been committed in Gaza," Albares said.

In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav for crimes against humanity.

Palestinian statehood and Israel's crimes

Spain's foreign minister added that Spain has also sanctioned violent illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, tripled its aid to recognise Palestinian statehood and increased its support for UNRWA while other nations paused funding.

Albares added that the current ceasefire is "a window of opportunity" for Gaza and that Spain is working to help make it permanent.

After the ceasefire is secured, he said work should begin on a "phase of reconstruction" in which Spain will support the Palestinian Authority in taking control of Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

From there, he said a two-state solution must be implemented for long-term peace in th e Middle East.

"It's not just talking about parameters, but really implementing them — meaning a Palestinian state that guarantees Israel's security and the normalisation of Israel’s relations with all Middle East states.”