Spain's Government was Condemning Israel when the Deadly Floods Started
Valencia and adjoining regions are known for regular floods. These floods were documented from the 1300s. They were foreseeable and predictable many centuries before the Climate Change movement was politicized around the globe. Yet, the Spanish government did little to safeguard lives and property in October 2024, when the deadliest floods occurred in Spain. At the time of the floods, Spain's social democratic government was immersed in global affairs remotely relevant to the Spanish people. The October floods were reasonably predictable and required urgent attention. However, Spain's government chose to focus on international events, leaving the residents of Valencia and adjoining lands to their fate. This article examines the implications of Spain's diversion of resources to the condemnation of Israel at a time when extreme weather conditions were foreseeable. It will evaluate the ruling government's liability and Pedro Sanchez's role in the entire process.
Spain’s Focus on Israel At the Time of the Floods
Spain canceled a contract to buy ammunition from an Israeli firm on 29th October - the day the floods started.[1]. This was the topmost agenda in the office of the President of the Government.
The lack of definitive leadership is the fundamental reason for the extreme damage to lives and property caused by the October floods. At the onset of the floods on the morning of the 29th, the Spanish meteorological agency issued an “orange” weather warning for Valencia and the entire region. In hindsight, this was an understatement of the severity of the floods. Hinting of negligence and failure to undertake due technical analysis before the floods[2].
Valencia's local government upgraded the warning later in the morning, and the emergency services started rescue efforts. By midday, some rivers had started overflowing. Valencia's President announced that, by local estimates, the storm should dissipate by the close of the day.
However, by sunset, the banks of more reivers were overflowing.
Valencia was left to its fate as an autonomous region. It was only around 8pm on 29th October, that the Spanish government was involved.
Who in Spain’s government was supposed to monitor the situation in Valencia?
Why did it take over five hours to concede that the situation was bound to get out of hand. It was a domino effect where river after river overflowed its banks to the knowledge of any state authority.
At the moment, some commentators seek to hold the Valencia government accountable for this situation. However the flood was pervasive, and it affected the region of Murcia and parts of the Aragon province. This was a national issue, rather than a local matter.
National leadership could have helped greatly.
Pedro Sanchez had a duty to act as a figurehead to coordinate the best efforts possible.
He failed.
And what was he doing? He was busy finding faults with Israel's war efforts in the Gaza Strip.
Due to this, Spanish nationals died.
Pedro Sanchez’s Efforts to Delegitimize Israel
Pedro Sanchez is considered one of the most anti-Israel voices in the European Union[3]. He campaigned on the promise of recognizing a Palestinian state.
He led Spain to ban the export of arms to Israel in October 2023, the moment the Gaza War commenced. In return, he issued a superficial slap-on-the-wrist condemnation of Hamas for the October 7 attacks.
Pedro Sanchez's actions as head of Spain's government are symptomatic of leaders who seek to draw a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas.
The trade-off between Spain’s government’s focus on Gazans and Spanish citizens on October 29 has a long background.
The immediate factors that led to the neglect commenced over two weeks earlier, on October 11, when Pedro Sanchez led a call for nations to stop exporting arms to Israel.[4]. This was based on a unilateral accusation of Israel in light of the number of people killed in the Gaza Strip.
Pedro Sanchez did not think that a day may come when Spain would have to go after terrorists embedded in a vast civilian population.
That has not come up yet.
What was emerging was the flood on his home soil.
The natural chronology of calls to lead global action is to lead by example. Thus, Spain took deep inquests to find where they could demonstrate their protest against Israel.
Citing Israel's renewed offensive in Lebanon, Pedro Sanchez started probing to find ways of pressuring Israel.[5].
Sanchez and his colleagues in government found a contract between an Israeli private firm and a Spanish police department aimed at supplying ammunition. This was a relatively small contract of just about $7 million. However, the symbolic value for Spain as an international activist campaigning against Israel was enormous.
The process dragged on till October 29, the fateful day when Pedro Sanchez and his colleagues in government announced the canceling of the contract.
As expected, the global media picked up the story and showed that Israel was losing legitimacy. People who accused Israel of serious crimes have a great story to share to rationalize their false narratives.
The Flood & Its Aftermath
Pedro Sanchez put the lives of Gazans ahead of the Spanish people.
Leadership could have averted the flood.
However, the emphasis of the government on the day of the floods was on condemning Israel.
Clearly, Pedro Sanchez knew his reputation had taken a hit. This prompted the infamous tour to the affected regions on Sunday, November 3rd. To avert the obvious anger, he needed the reputation of the dignified Spanish Crown to cover up the inefficiency of the government Sanchez led.
This did not work.
Pedro Sanchez and the top royals of Spain received an unprecedented pre-French-revolution type of reception from the angry crowds of the suburb of Valencia they visited, who called them murderers.
Call Up for Pedro Sanchez to Resign
What happened in Valencia on Sunday, November 3rd, was symptomatic of a constitutional crisis. Over 200 Spanish citizens have been confirmed dead from the floods. That is serious enough to demand the resignation of an entire government.
Leadership by the Sanchez government could have saved lives. They failed.
Pedro Sanchez should have gone ahead to face the consequences of his failures. However, in an apparent attempt to cover up with the monarch, he dragged the monarch downhill. This makes it untenable for him to hold on to power.
No head of state should expend so much effort on singling out and demonizing another country like Israel.
In conclusion, Pedro Sanchez put the condemnation of Israel ahead of the lives of Spanish civilians on the day of the floods. If he had acted appropriately, Spanish lives and properties would have been saved.
He failed, and the honorable thing to do now is to resign as President of the Government of Spain.
[1] Reuters. "Spain cancels purchase of police ammunition from Israeli firm." Published: October 29, 2024. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/spain-cancels-purchase-police-ammunition-israeli-firm-2024-10-29/
[2] Sergi Pitarch. "Cronología de una alerta que llegó tarde: “Cuando Utiel y Requena se inundan, se sabe lo que va a pasar después río abajo”" elDiario.es. Published: October 30, 2024. Updated: October 31, 2024. Available at:https://www.eldiario.es/comunitat-valenciana/cronologia-alerta-llego-tarde-utiel-requena-inundan-pasar-despues-rio-abajo_1_11779079.html
[3] Sandrine Morel. "In a cautious EU, Spain stands out as vocal Israel critic" Le Monde. Published: November 27, 2023. Available at: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/11/27/in-a-cautious-eu-spain-stands-out-as-vocal-israel-critic_6293238_4.html
[4] Laura Kayali. "Spanish PM Sánchez urges countries to stop selling arms to Israel" Politico. Published: October 11, 2024. Available at: https://www.politico.eu/article/spanish-pm-sanchez-urges-countries-to-stop-selling-arms-to-israel/
[5] Reuters. "Spain's PM Sanchez urges international community to stop selling weapons to Israel." Published: October 11, 2024. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/spains-pm-sanchez-urges-international-community-stop-selling-weapons-israel-2024-10-11/
