Suspend relations with Israel or "betray" allies: the Sánchez-Feijóo clash in Barcelona

Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo have not seen each other, but they have been two of the protagonists in the meeting of numerous political leaders this Friday in Barcelona. They have not shared a stage, but the clash between the two Spanish leaders has once again become evident. While the Spanish president has argued that "the European Union must suspend the association agreement with Israel" after "flagrant violations of international law", the leader of the opposition in the State has clashed head-on, reproaching him for having "betrayed" allies in a staunch defense of NATO with criticism of Spain's approach to China.At the European Pulse Forum, organized by Politico and BeBartlet, Sánchez has argued that Europe must be "firm in the defense of a rules-based order": "We cannot be content with lamenting, we only have to look at Gaza to see the consequences of the violation of international order. Let us not allow a new Gaza in Lebanon", he warned, to defend the total veto of Israel. Precisely, he has presented Europe as a "hope for peace", especially in "times of wars in Gaza, the West Bank, Iran and Lebanon", all of them provoked by Israel and the United States, with whom he maintains a tough confrontation. With the will to guarantee European "autonomy" and not depend on Donald Trump –whom he did not name–, he has insisted on the idea of forming a European army "tomorrow", as well as a "common" foreign policy. But he has also defended ties with China that the PP criticizes and some signed trade agreements: "The government of Spain supports the Mercosur agreements", he said, and also "strengthening ties" with India, the US, and China, which he will visit again. "Sanchista" Europeanismsanchista has permeated his speech with the defense of the "capacity to dream" in European integration and he was encouraged by a phrase in English: "It feels good to be European" [Being European makes you feel good]. As an ally, he had already found the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, who said before his speech that "Sánchez's government will survive" and defended his "clear international leadership".Criticism from the PP

In turn, Feijóo has made a wholesale amendment to Sánchez's government and its international alliances. The PP leader has fully defended NATO, despite the twists and turns and the multiple conflicts initiated by the US president, Donald Trump. He even used the word "traitor" when reviewing Spain's position in Europe. "I know that many are worried that Spain has abandoned allies," he said, and warned that he has opted for "new allies" in recent conflicts that have clashed with traditional ones. "The European Union is not just a market, it is a commitment that is respected in good times and bad. As a minister told me, when one abandons Europe, one becomes a traitor to Europe," he snapped. In fact, he had specifically mentioned "technological alliances that contradict the principles of the EU," in reference to China. Is Pedro Sánchez the "traitor" Feijóo is talking about?

But Feijóo did not stop there and reviewed the clash in the Venezuelan and Iranian cases, despite having overlooked Trump's illegalities. "With autocrats, all of Europe must have a position of firmness. It should not accept congratulations," he lamented, implicitly referring to Iran's congratulations, despite also Hamas in the Israeli case. Regarding Iran, he reproached the reopening of the embassy in the Islamic country with the argument that "women's rights," "homosexuals' rights," and "human rights" in general must be defended. However, it is on Venezuela where he has clashed most with Sánchez: "I assume the commitment in Hispanic America, where Spain, due to historical responsibility, has a role"; "Not with Delcy or Maduro, but with María Corina Machado."

He did mention the "unequivocal condemnation of the warmongering drift that is sweeping the world" and vindicated Europe as "a project of peace" and "sanity" because "containment, de-escalation, and diplomacy are the only path that the West recognizes itself in." But he once again criticized Sánchez for "self-excluding" himself from European summits or for being "excluded" by allies and reaffirmed that, if he presides over the state government, Spain "will be a loyal partner that respects agreements and commitments."

Atlanticist and immigration plea

Following the PP's usual line of argument, Feijóo has warned that the Spanish government has members opposed to NATO, while adding that the European Union must be "defended" "from its enemies from outside and within." "Europe's commitment to NATO must be unequivocal, we must all preserve it, it is the best instrument to guarantee security because we are under threat," he said. Immediately afterwards, curiously, he referred to the validity of Europeanism and Atlanticism "in the face of the tariff war or authoritarianisms and populisms of all kinds." All this, despite the fact that Trump is the protagonist of geopolitical earthquakes. In contrast, Sánchez has prioritized the autonomy of the European Union in a context of instability marked by the U.S.

The Galician leader also had the opportunity to talk about immigration and criticized the massive regularization by the state executive because, by approving it, "Spain is exporting a migratory problem to the entire European Union." Feijóo has overlooked that José María Aznar regularized half a million migrants when he governed the State. In contrast, Sánchez has limited himself to defending "legal, safe, and orderly immigration," without mentioning the extraordinary regularization he has widely defended in recent months.