The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE) has strongly rejected recent remarks by Spanish Minister Sira Rego concerning boycotts of Israel and her support for a Palestine “free from the river to the sea”.
The FCJE said it was particularly serious for a senior government minister to present such slogans as expressions of Spanish society, arguing that they contribute to a climate of rejection towards the Jewish community, imply the disappearance of Israel and deny the Jewish people’s right to self-determination.
The organisation also recalled that Spain has been a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) since 2008 and adopted its working definition of antisemitism in 2020. According to the FCJE, statements of this nature fall within the examples covered by the definition.
While stressing that Rego does not speak on behalf of Spanish society and that Spanish society should not be characterised as antisemitic, the FCJE said it considers the minister’s remarks to be antisemitic.
