Pastelli
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In his May 22, 2025 piece, 'Spain should think thrice before it lectures Israel about genocide,' professor of political science Daniel Friedman sharply criticizes Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, calling it both factually false and deeply hypocritical given Spain’s own dark history with the Jewish people.
Let’s begin with the accusation itself. The charge of genocide implies a deliberate attempt to annihilate an entire people. That is not what is happening in Gaza. Israel is engaged in a painful, prolonged war with Hamas, a terrorist group that deliberately embeds itself within civilian infrastructure – schools, hospitals, and mosques – using its own people as human shields while launching rockets at Israeli towns and cities.
Unlike genocidal regimes, Israel takes unprecedented steps to protect civilians. It issues warnings before airstrikes. It drops leaflets, makes phone calls, and broadcasts evacuation routes. No other country fighting a terrorist insurgency takes such measures. And let’s not forget: This war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas massacred over 1,200 Israeli men, women, and children – an act of genocidal violence if there ever was one.
Spain’s Hypocrisy: Three Historical Genocides Against Jews.
The historical hypocrisy. Friedman notes that Spain (known in Hebrew as 'Sefarad') has repeatedly persecuted its Jewish population:
1. 12th century Almohad persecution:
The end of the “Golden Age” of Spanish Jewry under the Almohad Muslim regime, which gave Jews the choice to convert to Islam, flee, or die. Prominent figures like Maimonides’ family were forced to escape.
2. 1492 Spanish Expulsion:
Under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, approximately 200,000 Jews were expelled. Those who converted faced the Spanish Inquisition, which tortured and executed many for “heresy.” Jewish books were banned, synagogues turned into churches, and Jewish identity was systematically erased — amounting to both physical and cultural genocide.
3. Holocaust era (20th century):
During World War II, Spain largely closed its borders to its own Jewish citizens (about 4,000 Jewish Spaniards in Europe), readmitting only around 800. The rest were left vulnerable to Nazi deportation and extermination, making Spain complicit in the Holocaust.
This pattern is “transference” — Spain projecting its own guilt onto Israel.
In conclusion, Israel, established partly as a safe haven for Jews after centuries of persecution, is not committing genocide but defending itself against a Hamas regime explicitly dedicated to its destruction, while going to unusual lengths to protect Palestinian-Arab civilians caught in the crossfire.
____
'Spain should think thrice before it lectures Israel about genocide'
"Spain's historical relationship with the Jews makes its accusations of genocide hypocritical."
Daniel Friedman, 'Jerusalem Post', May 22, 2025.
www.jpost.com
Let’s begin with the accusation itself. The charge of genocide implies a deliberate attempt to annihilate an entire people. That is not what is happening in Gaza. Israel is engaged in a painful, prolonged war with Hamas, a terrorist group that deliberately embeds itself within civilian infrastructure – schools, hospitals, and mosques – using its own people as human shields while launching rockets at Israeli towns and cities.
Unlike genocidal regimes, Israel takes unprecedented steps to protect civilians. It issues warnings before airstrikes. It drops leaflets, makes phone calls, and broadcasts evacuation routes. No other country fighting a terrorist insurgency takes such measures. And let’s not forget: This war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas massacred over 1,200 Israeli men, women, and children – an act of genocidal violence if there ever was one.
Spain’s Hypocrisy: Three Historical Genocides Against Jews.
The historical hypocrisy. Friedman notes that Spain (known in Hebrew as 'Sefarad') has repeatedly persecuted its Jewish population:
1. 12th century Almohad persecution:
The end of the “Golden Age” of Spanish Jewry under the Almohad Muslim regime, which gave Jews the choice to convert to Islam, flee, or die. Prominent figures like Maimonides’ family were forced to escape.
2. 1492 Spanish Expulsion:
Under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, approximately 200,000 Jews were expelled. Those who converted faced the Spanish Inquisition, which tortured and executed many for “heresy.” Jewish books were banned, synagogues turned into churches, and Jewish identity was systematically erased — amounting to both physical and cultural genocide.
3. Holocaust era (20th century):
During World War II, Spain largely closed its borders to its own Jewish citizens (about 4,000 Jewish Spaniards in Europe), readmitting only around 800. The rest were left vulnerable to Nazi deportation and extermination, making Spain complicit in the Holocaust.
This pattern is “transference” — Spain projecting its own guilt onto Israel.
In conclusion, Israel, established partly as a safe haven for Jews after centuries of persecution, is not committing genocide but defending itself against a Hamas regime explicitly dedicated to its destruction, while going to unusual lengths to protect Palestinian-Arab civilians caught in the crossfire.
____
'Spain should think thrice before it lectures Israel about genocide'
"Spain's historical relationship with the Jews makes its accusations of genocide hypocritical."
Daniel Friedman, 'Jerusalem Post', May 22, 2025.
Spain shouldn't lecture Israel about genocide | The Jerusalem Post
Spain's historical relationship with the Jews makes its accusations of genocide hypocritical.
www.jpost.com
