Spanish lawmaker urges UN approval for multinational mission to Gaza

MADRID/ISTANBUL

A Spanish lawmaker on Tuesday urged the government to seek UN authorization to join a multinational force in Gaza, amid mounting outrage in Spain over Israel’s actions in the territory.

“Multinational armies operate in many parts of the world to protect children and innocent civilians,” Alberto Ibanez, a lawmaker from Compromis, part of the Sumar coalition, told reporters in parliament.

"I believe Spain should request authorization from the UN and, therefore, do so within the legal framework. And that a coalition of different states could intervene and defend a people who are being massacred,” he added.

Ibanez also called on the government to ensure security for activists in the Global Sumud Fleet, which has reported being attacked twice as of Wednesday, saying they were “risking their lives to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza.”

Spanish media reported that the proposal to deploy a multinational force under UN authorization has so far only been discussed inside Ibanez’s party Compromis and has not been formally raised within Sumar.

Relations between Spain and Israel have deteriorated in recent months.

Earlier this week, Madrid introduced a nine-point sanctions package against Israel over its campaign in Gaza, including entry bans on far-right Israeli ministers, a permanent arms embargo and a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in occupied territories.

Israel responded by barring two Spanish ministers from entry and accusing Madrid of antisemitism.