He says the conflict in Palestine is “humanity’s battle” and thanks Spain for standing “on the right side of history.”
The Palestinian ambassador to Spain, Husni Abdel Wahed, has stated that “the only thing” he expects from Donald Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip is to stop the “genocide,” and that the international community has welcomed it “not because it is so good, but because it is an opportunity” to achieve this and allow the entry of humanitarian aid.
“Our priority is to stop the genocide, and that is the only thing we expect from this plan, but everything else requires a lot of analysis. As they say, the devil is in the details, and the details are not very encouraging,” he stated this Tuesday at a public event at the Government Delegation in Cantabria, marking two years since Hamas attacked Israel.
Abdel Wahed was accompanied by the Government delegate in Cantabria, Pedro Casares, at this event, which brought together nearly 100 people, who greeted the ambassador with chants of “it’s not a war, it’s a genocide.”
The Palestinian representative in Spain pointed out that what is happening in Palestine is “humanity’s battle,” because its values and principles, as well as the world order, “are at stake.” “We cannot understand humanism as something partial or selective. It is either humane or it is not,” he concluded.
In this regard, he thanked Spain for “being on the right side of history” and for having led the recognition of the State of Palestine, after which “many have followed in its footsteps” months later. “Fortunately, time has proved Spain right.”
Abdel Wahed lamented that “genocide and ethnic cleansing are being normalized,” and “the idea that it is something that can happen and there will be no consequences.” Something that, in his opinion, is due to Israel’s “impunity due to the protection and shielding of the great powers.” In this regard, he emphasized that the United States “leads, but there are others who are just as much a party to this genocide as the US and Israel.”
In this regard, regarding the US president’s plan for Gaza, the ambassador emphasized that the only specific plan is the 72-hour deadline for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, but everything else is “vague,” and “when he talks about the withdrawal of Israeli troops, it’s more of a redeployment than a withdrawal.”
On this point, he questioned why Israel is given the power to remain within a certain perimeter of the Gaza Strip “as long as it deems necessary until the threats disappear,” when “for Israel, the birth of a Palestinian child is already a threat.”
He also lamented that the plan “makes no mention” of the West Bank, despite the fact that “there is also another chapter of genocide underway that lacks the necessary interest and attention,” despite the fact that “Palestinians are being murdered every day” and “ethnic cleansing” is being implemented.
“OUR REVENGE WILL BE THE SMILE ON OUR CHILDREN”
Despite everything, the ambassador emphasized that the Palestinian people have survived 24 invasions throughout their history and are made up of “ordinary people.”
“We are not seeking revenge or retaliation; what we are seeking is justice, freedom, peace, and a future. I don’t want them to be pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli: be human and defend their values. Our revenge will be the smile on our children’s faces,” Abdel Wahed concluded.
His speech was preceded by the Government delegate in Cantabria, who also called for “a voice to be raised” against the “genocide” in Palestine so that “the bombs stop now” and a “dialogue” can begin to put an end to a conflict that has lasted “too long.”
Casares lamented that “the basic principles of human rights” are not being respected in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. “They are bombing the civilian population, children, and therefore we raise our voices so that the bombs stop now and the conversation and dialogue can begin,” he demanded.
The delegate, who met with the Palestinian ambassador before the meeting open to the public, conveyed “the recognition of this Delegation and the Government of Spain for the people of Palestine.”
Both emphasized the role of the Spanish Government, as it was the first country, in May 2024, to recognize the State of Palestine. “They said we were alone. We were not alone, we were the first,” Casares emphasized, recalling that many other countries, such as Portugal, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, have subsequently recognized the Palestinian state.
“It’s the solution for the future. Two states must coexist in Israel and Palestine. Because there are two states, because there are two peoples,” the delegate insisted, expressing to the Palestinian ambassador to Spain the “solidarity” of the people of Cantabria in the face of what their people are suffering.
GATHERING IN SANTANDER
In addition to this event at the Delegation, Santander City Hall Square was the scene of a rally this afternoon in which more than 200 people lamented the “genocide” in Gaza and the “77 years of occupation, apartheid, and systematic violence.”
On various banners, participants denounced that “more than half of the population of Gaza is under 18 years of age and that some 70,000 tons of explosives—equivalent to six Hiroshima bombs—have been dropped on a landlocked and densely populated territory.”
The event concluded with the reading of a manifesto supporting the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement as a means of “international pressure.”
