At UN, Spain’s king says country ‘proud of its Sephardic roots,’ which is why it is ‘so pained’ by Gaza war

Spain sees “full severity” of violations of international law in “Palestine, in the Gaza Strip,” its King Felipe VI tells the UN General Assembly.

“Spain is a nation deeply proud of its Sephardic roots,” the king says, referring to its Jewish population, many of whom were massacred in the Inquisition of the late 15th century, then expelled in 1492. Jews began to return to the country around the 19th century.

“When we speak to the people of Israel, we speak to a people of brothers and sisters, a people who, when they return to Spain, to Cordoba, Toledo, Seville, Barcelona, and so many other places, come home. This was the spirit behind the 2015 law, which was passed with broad consensus, granting Spanish nationality to descendants of Sephardic Jews, originally from Spain,” he says.

“It is for this reason, and it is so difficult for us to understand, and we are so pained by the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. We therefore cry out, we implore, we demand, stop this massacre now. No more deaths in the name of a people that are so wise and ancient, who have suffered so greatly throughout history,” he states.

“Let us be clear, we unequivocally condemn the heinous terrorism of Hamas, especially the brutal massacre of the seventh of October 2023 against the Israeli population. And we recognize Israel’s right to self-defense, but with equal strength, we demand that the Israeli government fully uphold international humanitarian law throughout Gaza and the West Bank,” he says, calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to be sent into the Strip.