"Israel's victory is Catalonia's victory": This is how the Catalan Alliance defends the war in Gaza to militants.

BarcelonaWhat need does the Catalan Alliance have to take a position on the Israel-Palestine conflict? This is a question being asked by members and supporters of the far-right party, who have drawn closer to the party primarily because of its rejection of Muslim immigration and, to a lesser extent, because of their discontent with the paralysis of the Process. However, in a few cases, Silvia Orriols' followers have done so because of her support for the genocide carried out by Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Gaza. The brutality of the images coming from Palestine, with more than 60,000 deaths, many of them children, and the large demonstrations in Catalonia are also not helping Aliança members close ranks with the leadership.

In this context, the Islamophobic party included a section in the training session held last Saturday in Tortosa to specifically discuss the war in the Middle East. Under the title "The relationship between Israel and Catalonia, and how to explain clearly and publicly the importance of this bond," the leadership of the Catalan Alliance argued why it openly positions itself in favor of Israel, while also endorsing the Israeli government's repression against the civilian population days before the agreement was signed.

This was done directly by the Secretary of Studies and Programs, Jordi Aragonès, who opened the presentation. "The Israel-Palestine conflict goes far beyond a national and territorial conflict; it is a conflict between civilization and barbarism," he declared during his speech. To argue this point, the leader of the executive branch pointed out that Israel is "the only Western bastion and the only parliamentary democracy in the region, with separation of powers, and where homosexuals can walk down the street without being stoned or murdered."

In a speech modeled on Vox's, Aragonés reiterated that the sole objective of Muslim countries is to take control of the Old Continent: "Islam is a territorial religion, not a personal religion; it is a political ideology with submission to God, which sees the world as territories to be conquered, be it Catalonia or the Balkans. For this reason, Aragonés went so far as to say that if Israel does not win, the conflict will spread to Europe. "If Israel falls, that conflict will reach Europe; Israel is the last dam against the Islamist terror that will reach Al-Andalus, a territory of which we are a part from their point of view." "We are not talking about a distant conflict, let's talk about a conflict that challenges us; Israel's victory is also the victory of the West and of Catalonia," he declared.

An ally of Catalonia?

National and international variables also come into play in the equation for positioning itself with Israel, which the Catalan Alliance maintains can help in the Catalan conflict. In short, the Islamophobic party sees the Hebrew state as a potential ally with whom it must forge complicity. In fact, following the DUI, Israel adopted a diplomatic position without recognizing the declaration of independence, but it also did not defend the unity of Spain, as other countries had done, such as Palestine itself, which days before Israel did so, expressed its support for a "strong and united Spain" and advocated for resolving the crisis within the framework of the Constitution.

Economist and lawyer Marc Godia, who gave a presentation on the history and diplomacy between Israel and Catalonia during the training day, declined to speak to the ARA (Argentine National Assembly), although he initially expressed a willingness to do so. Sources present at the event explained that his talk began by going back to the creation of the State of Israel, when the Arabs rejected the proposal to divide the territory—as a result, they were expelled.

"A historical update was provided to justify the Alliance's views on Israel and counter blame in the face of the imbalance in public opinion," sources from the group emphasized. "We also made the membership understand that it's not about justifying deaths, but in a war there are always collateral casualties, and if there are collateral casualties, and if there are collateral casualties, and if there are collateral casualties, and if there are collateral casualties," sources said, referring to the strategy they believe Hamas has adopted in Gaza. They admit that support for Benjamin Netanyahu's administration could take its toll at the polls: "We're not looking at the bottom line, it's not a strategy, but there's a year and a half until the municipal elections." During the presentation, the same sources explain that no dissenting voices were heard and that it occurred as a matter of course. "Everyone's priority is the local [elections]," they emphasize.

With Donald Trump's peace plan on the table, Silvia Orriols has repeatedly stated that all the Israeli government is doing is "defending and protecting its citizens, as any democratic government in the world should do," ignoring the massacre in Palestinian territory. On Tuesday, on the second anniversary of the Hamas attack, the president of the Alliance commemorated the Israeli victims and made no mention of the victims of the other side. "Catalonia always stands alongside civilization and against barbarism," she emphasized, in the same terms Aragonés used over the weekend.

And on Wednesday, during the general policy debate, Orriols, wearing an Israeli flag sticker on his chest, denied genocide, arguing that Israel doesn't murder the 20% of the Arab population living in Israel. "Why didn't they start with those closest to them if it's a genocide?" he asked, after opining that the Gaza offensive is "a legitimate incursion to put an end to Islamist terrorism."