Spain urges EU to take steps to protect independence of ICC, UN, their actions to end Gaza genocide

Spain’s prime minister on Wednesday called on the European Commission to take steps to protect the independence of the International Criminal Court and the UN, as well as their actions to end the genocide in Gaza.

“We ask the Commission to activate the Anti-Coercion Instrument, to protect the independence of the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, and their actions to end the genocide in Gaza,” Pedro Sanchez said on US social media company X.

He said Spain will “not look the other way” and warned that sanctioning those who defend international justice places the human rights system at risk.

The EU cannot remain a bystander “in the face of this persecution,” he added.

The Israeli army has killed more than 72,600 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 172,000 in a deadly assault on Gaza since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Despite a ceasefire in place since last October, Israel has refused to allow the agreed quantities of humanitarian supplies into the enclave, where about 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.5 million displaced, face severe humanitarian conditions.