Fiercely defending Spain's traditional alliances while the military and verbal escalation of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu increases puts the PP in a complicated situation. Alberto Núñez Feijóo has so far avoided confrontation with the United States and Israel even when they have attacked one of the pillars of Spanish conservatives, such as Catholicism. The Popular Party stood aside when the Israeli government vetoed Palm Sunday mass in the Holy Land, and now that the President of the U.S. has put Pope Leo XIV in his sights, Feijóo has been caught between the two.

"Being anti-Zionist in Israeli society is basically like a betrayal. It puts you at odds with friends and family. It's going against your own identity. They see you as crazy." Nadav Finebooch, of Israeli nationality but residing in Madrid since 2023, thus summarizes for ARA the contradiction and ostracism generated by being a dissident in Israel and raising a voice against the "genocide" perpetrated by Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Finebooch, far from a community in which he felt "as if I were living inside George Orwell's book1984, has joined a group of Israelis established in Spain who are calling on the international community to sanction Israel. Although they celebrate that Pedro Sánchez's government has so far championed the opposition to Netanyahu with the Gaza war, they ask him to act even more "forcefully".

The day before the trial of the Kitchen case began at the National Court, the PP announced that its strategy was to create a firewall. "Feijóo is not the Kitchen," party sources proclaimed. This has been the popular party's approach throughout the first and second days of the oral hearing. The argument that current PP leaders repeat both in public and in private is that it is a matter related to the past, which has absolutely nothing to do with Alberto Núñez Feijóo and the current popular president's team. The person in charge of verbalizing this on Tuesday was Alicia García, spokesperson in the Senate, in a press conference focused on attacking Pedro Sánchez for the alleged corruption surrounding him. "We are talking about a case from more than ten or fifteen years ago, but today a case from fifteen minutes ago from the PSOE is being judged. And those that remain," she defended.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo's frustration at not being able to govern this legislature is palpable in the Senate. Given the impossibility of implementing his program, in the last two years the popular leader has used the upper house as a kind of showcase for what Spain governed by him would be like. Although the PP's absolute majority there is sterile because Congress blocks legislative initiatives, far from standing still and throwing in the towel, the popular parliamentary group has approved about forty laws in the upper house. For now, they cannot be applied, but from the Senate, the popular party members media-wise claim them as the alternative to Pedro Sánchez and propose the work done on these draft laws as a basis from which to start working when Feijóo arrives at Moncloa. A scenario in which they are confident from 2027 onwards. This is a portrait of what an eventual Spain governed by the PP would be like according to the initiatives they have proposed in the Senate:

The Spanish government, the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), and the Spanish Conference of Religious have signed this Monday, at the Ombudsman's office, the protocol to compensate victims of sexual abuse and pedophilia. It is the system to recognize and repair individuals for whom the judicial route is no longer possible and which had been pending detailing since early January, when a more generic pact was reached to implement it. Finally, no indicative compensation figure has been included in the text.

This 2026 one of the most iconic buildings in the center of Madrid celebrates its centenary. It is the headquarters of the Círculo de Bellas Artes (CBA), a private, non-profit cultural institution that claims to be a "reference of freedom and independence" in the capital of the State. In recent years, it has focused on "opening up to citizens" with initiatives such as the climate shelter —they have set up a green and free space that last summer was used by 60,000 people to protect themselves from the heat; the Festival of Ideas, which brings philosophy to the streets, or the City and Science Biennial, organized in collaboration with the Barcelona City Council.

The cultural battle is a concept that in the last decade has been inherent to the rise of the global far-right. In Spain, Vox has been fighting it for years to try to change the debate framework on issues such as feminism, environmentalism or LGTBI rights and to normalize discourses that were not previously acceptable. An example of this is the media coverage that the euthanasia process of Noelia Castillo has had this week and, in this context, the statements of the Madrid Minister of Health, Fátima Matute, talking about the importance of institutions also focusing on "healing the soul" are striking. As the elections in the Community of Madrid, scheduled for 2027, approach, its president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and her executive are increasingly adopting elements of the cultural war against progressivism. Ayuso has recently asked her supporters to exercise extreme vigilance to avoid losing the absolute majority, with an eye on Vox.

It was no longer decisive, but their vote was one of the last unknowns in the vote on the decree with tax cuts for the Iran war. The PP plans to abstain, according to popular sources. However, Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party still leaves the door open to a vote in favor if there is a last-minute turn by the Spanish government. What should happen? That Pedro Sánchez's executive commits during the debate, which will take place this Thursday, to deflating personal income tax. For the PP, the package of measures approved last Friday by the Council of Ministers is still "insufficient". However, they will not vote against it because it "includes part of its proposal for tax cuts".

Three months after the elections in Extremadura, it seems the People's Party (PP) and Vox are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The two parties met this Wednesday in Mérida to finalize the agreement that would allow María Guardiola to be sworn in and re-elected as regional president. Speaking after the meeting, both parties affirmed that there is "harmony" and expressed optimism, although they cautioned that there are still "issues to be resolved" before the pact can be considered complete.

There is no session in the Congress of Deputies that does not involve a clash between Junts and Esquerra. The same leader of the Republicans, Gabriel Rufián, admitted this Wednesday while intervening in the appearance of the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, on the war in Iran. From the lectern, Rufián said the following: "Some Catalan journalists are already writing the chronicle of Rufián attacks Junts, well yes. I don't care because fortunately people have other means of communication to know what is happening here, Junts lies and there are less than 30 days to tell people about it," he sentenced, alluding to the Junts' opposition to validating the decree that extends the Spanish government's rental contracts and which must be voted on in the Congress of Deputies within a month at the latest. "Who do you work for? Don't you have any voters whose rental contract is ending? Why such a self-harming vote? Do you have a real estate company?" he asked the Junts bench. "If you overturn this decree, I wish you years of political ostracism and I promise you I will try very hard for it to be so. You do terrible harm to the people of this country," he concluded.

There isn't a session in the Congress of Deputies that doesn't involve a clash between Junts and Esquerra. The leader of the Republicans, Gabriel Rufián, himself admitted this on Wednesday while speaking during the appearance of the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, regarding the war in Iran. From the podium, Rufián said the following: "Some Catalan journalists are already writing the story 'Rufián attacks Junts,' well, yes. I don't care because, fortunately, people have other means of communication to find out what's happening here. Junts is lying, and there are just under 30 days left to tell people," he declared, alluding to Junts' opposition to ratifying the decree extending rental contracts issued by the Spanish government, which must be voted on in the Congress of Deputies within a month at the latest. "Who do you work for? Don't you have any voters whose rental contracts are about to expire? Why this self-destructive vote? Do you own a real estate company?" he asked the Junts party members. "If you overturn this decree, I wish you years of political ostracism, and I promise I will work very hard to make sure it happens. You are doing a terrible disservice to the people of this country," he concluded.

The beginning of the speech was indicative of what the tone of the debate and the strategy of the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, would be to defend Iran's 'no to war'. A few minutes after taking the podium in Congress, he recited: "There are dates that are not forgotten, that remain marked forever in the collective memory of a country. February 15, 2003 is one. That Saturday, 3 million citizens said no to war", he recalled. In this way, alluding to the citizenry's reaction to the invasion of Iraq twenty years ago, Sánchez contrasted his position with that of the PP government in 2003. "José María Aznar dragged us into a war to feel important and because Bush invited him for a cigar," he stated, guaranteeing that "now Spain will not be an accomplice, not while I am president."

Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Santiago Abascal sitting on a powerful motorcycle painted with the Spanish flag. It is not a real image – nor AI – but a Fallas puppet exhibited this week in Valencia. Although there is no alliance between them in real life – rather a dispute over the same electoral space in Madrid – their radical speeches and the sympathies shared by the Madrid president and the Vox leader in the international arena make the vision of this tandem not particularly jarring to the spectators of the Fallas monuments. Abascal's ties with the far-right world leaders are official and organic – through alliances in the Eurochamber or with foundations of this ideological space – while Ayuso has them from a more symbolic perspective. This is what happens with Donald Trump.

The extraordinary Council of Ministers for the effects of the war is delayed due to the clash between the PSOE and Sumar. According to sources consulted by ARA, they are negotiating 'in extremis' the package to face the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East. Although, as this newspaper explained yesterday, tax reductions on VAT for fuels and electricity are included to please Junts, the socialists are resisting including measures related to housing as demanded by Sumar and other left-wing parties. Precisely because both Junts and the PNB have warned them that they will not approve the extension of rent freezes or the suspension of evictions if they put everything in the same decree. "Don't play with it this time," the PNB has warned them this week.

After an unprecedented clash with the Sumar coalition ministers over the emergency plan to combat the war in Iran, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appeared at Moncloa Palace this Friday to explain a new social safety net, which he described as the "largest" in all of Europe. It will have two components: a package of tax cuts on fuel, gas, and electricity, and another decree-law on housing extending rental contracts for up to two years. He stated that there will be a total of 80 measures costing the public coffers 5 billion euros, primarily due to the reduction in the tax burden. "Spain is better prepared than other countries to face the energy shock resulting from Iran's illegal war," he asserted, referring to its strategic commitment to renewable energy. At the same time, Sánchez lamented that no plan, "however ambitious," will be able to "neutralize all the miseries" of the conflict and expressed his "anger at the state of the world."

King Felipe VI's gesture toward Mexico—in which he acknowledged the "abuses" committed during the conquest of the Americas—has had an initial, palpable effect on thawing relations. According to the Royal Household, the monarch has received an invitation from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to attend the World Cup, which her country will host from July 11 to 19. In a letter, Sheinbaum expresses that this sporting event "provides the perfect opportunity to highlight the depth and unique character of the ties between Mexico and Spain, forged by a historical brotherhood." The invitation was welcomed at the Zarzuela Palace "within the framework of the fraternal relationship of friendship between the two countries." At a press conference this Tuesday, Sheinbaum indicated her willingness to accept the monarch's invitation and welcomed his remarks earlier in the week during a conversation with the Mexican ambassador to Spain while visiting the exhibition.Half the world. Women in indigenous Mexico. The Mexican government had been demanding for years an apology to Spainbecause of its colonial past. Although Felipe VI did not apologize, the Mexican president interpreted his words—in which he admitted that there are behaviors that, viewed through the lens of current values, are not something to be "proud of"—as "a gesture of rapprochement" within the framework of a process that "must continue to be worked on."

The war in the Middle East has dominated the headlines in recent weeks, overshadowing the conflict in Ukraine. Against this international backdrop, Pedro Sánchez received Volodymyr Zelensky at the Moncloa Palace on Wednesday and announced €1 billion in bilateral military aid in 2026, part of which will be channeled through the European SAFE loan mechanism. "Spain will not stop looking towards Ukraine. We have not forgotten your suffering. We will continue to stand by your side as a faithful, loyal, and reliable ally," the Spanish president stated. Sánchez emphasized that the Ukrainian president's visit to Spain, his fourth since the start of the war with Russia, has "a very special significance" given that the conflict in Iran "is currently monopolizing everyone's attention." "We will maintain our support [for Ukraine] with the same intensity as from day one," he insisted.

He Felipe VI's acknowledgment of the "abuses" in the conquest of America The monarch's remarks have been positively received by Mexico. The country's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, stated at a press conference on Tuesday that these words represent "a gesture of rapprochement" from the head of state, acknowledging "the excesses and exterminations that occurred during the arrival of the Spanish." She added that "we must recognize this and continue to move forward with the dialogue," in a process that "requires further work." On the other hand, the monarch's statements have not been well received by Vox, as expected, and have also generated discomfort within the People's Party (PP). Both parties made this clear in their reactions on Tuesday to the monarch's words, with which he intended to make a gesture toward Mexico. He has been asking for an apology from Spain for years. because of its colonial past. Although neither the right nor the far right have sought a direct confrontation with the head of state, both parties have distanced themselves from his position and have reaffirmed "the pride of the Spanish legacy" in Latin America.

Once established as the leading force in Castile and León With Vox performing less strongly than the polls predicted, the People's Party (PP) faces the challenge of forming a government. Their aspiration is to do so alone. However, shortly after the PP candidate, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, expressed his preference for a single-party government with external support from the far-right party, Santiago Abascal has dampened this possibility. The Vox leader responded that they want to govern, not only in Castile and León but also in Extremadura and Aragon. "If there is a programmatic agreement for government, measure by measure, yes [we will join]," Abascal asserted at a press conference this Monday, where he warned that he intends to be part of the governments of "all three regions." Will this demand be an obstacle? Despite maintaining that they govern better alone, the PP has not ruled out coalitions to avoid being caught out.

That the survey places PSOE in first position in the elections in Castilla y León is a more common scenario than in Extremadura or Aragon. While in the two communities where this electoral cycle began, the Socialists have governed for more years than the Popular Party, the territory that takes over from them is a historic fiefdom of the PP. The conservatives have governed there uninterruptedly since 1987, when José María Aznar ousted the PSOE and inaugurated four decades of right-wing hegemony. In the largest autonomous community in Spain, the Socialists have only won there on two occasions, in 1983 and 2019 – coinciding with Pedro Sánchez's first victory in the State –, although seven years ago it did not allow them to reach the regional executive. In this Sunday's election, with Sánchez at his most complicated moment, everything points to the PP being the leading force, but it will once again depend on Vox.