A group of Arab and European countries met in Madrid, the capital of Spain, to analyse the situation in the Gaza Strip.

by Guillermo Alvarado

A group of Arab and European countries met in Madrid, the capital of Spain, to analyse the situation in the Gaza Strip. Israel is subjecting the civilian population there to intense bombardment and ground attacks while preventing the entry of urgent humanitarian aid.

The purpose of the meeting is to impose sanctions on the Benjamin Netanyahu-led Zionist regime to force it to stop its ethnic cleansing of Palestine, which aims to eradicate the Palestinian people from the area, take absolute control of the enclave, and expand its territories.

This action violates all international conventions on international humanitarian law, as well as the rules established for cases of armed conflict — which does not apply here, as there is no fighting between armies — and yet the international community has remained silent.

This is the first serious attempt to address the issue, and it is hoped that quick agreements will be reached and put into practice once and for all, thus putting an end to one of the worst human tragedies of recent decades.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the objective is to stop this inhumane and senseless war.

He added that emergency aid must enter Gaza unconditionally and without limits, and must not be subject to Israeli control as Tel Aviv intends. He said that silence at this time would be complicity in this massacre.

Representatives from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain attended the meeting, as well as those from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, in addition to Brazil.

The urgency of the situation has been exacerbated in recent hours by the shocking allegation that Zionist ground troops are using Palestinian civilians, including children, as human shields while moving through Gaza, which constitutes a war crime.

To those who dismiss this as propaganda or who invoke the oft-repeated argument of anti-Semitism to mask the brutality of the Israeli army, we point out that the information came from soldiers of that state who oppose the genocide.

They confirmed that commanders are aware of these actions, known as the 'mosquito protocol', and tolerate and even encourage them.

The victims must walk in front of the troops and are the first to be blown up if there are mines or traps, which is a perverse and cowardly action that must be strongly condemned.