SPAIN’S Prime Minister has had another blowout with his Israeli counterpart after a senior Catholic clergy member was prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in Jerusalem.
Pedro Sanchez hit out after Israeli police decided to bar Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest Catholic authority in Israel, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, calling it an ‘attack on religious freedom’.
A traditional Palm Sunday Mass had been scheduled at the site but was cancelled, with Israeli officials citing security concerns linked to regional tensions with Iran.
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Sanchez said: “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has prevented Catholics from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem. Without any explanation. Without reasons or motives.”
“The Government of Spain condemns this unjustified attack on religious freedom and demands that Israel respect the diversity of faiths and international law.”
He received surprising backing from his far-right nemesis Vox, which has been an ardent supporter of Israel.
The party wrote on X demanding that ‘the Israeli government must explain and address what happened at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.’
They continued: ‘We understand that the situation in Jerusalem is very complicated,’ but ‘Christians’ religious freedom must be guaranteed and their safety ensured.’
Sanchez joins other European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and France’s Emmanuel Macron, in criticising the decision.
For her part, Meloni described the move as ‘an offense not only to believers but to every community that recognises religious freedom.’
Meanwhile, Macron wrote on X that “I condemn this decision by the Israeli police, which adds to the worrying series of violations of the status of the Holy Places in Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu eventually backed down over the conflict, announcing that he had ‘instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa be granted full and immediate access.’
He went on to blame the dispute on Iranian missiles that had ‘repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem’, adding: “In one strike, missile fragments crashed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”
However, Gideon Sa’ar, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, was quick to go on the counter attack against Sanchez, saying he ‘never misses an opportunity to incite against Israel.’
He continued: “Israel is committed to freedom of religion and worship and will continue to uphold it, unlike the Iranian regime – that openly supports Sanchez.”
Sanchez’s comments mark a further escalation of tensions between Israel and Spain, coming against a backdrop of sustained criticism from Madrid over Israeli military operations in Gaza and attacks on Iran – a row that has already led Spain to permanently withdraw its ambassador to Israel.
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