Israel reprimands Spanish envoy after minister says Palestine should be free ‘from ri

Spain’s chargé d’affaires in Israel, Francisca Pedrós, was summoned Monday for a reprimand at the Foreign Ministry by Gilad Cohen, head of the ministry’s Political-Strategic Division. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ordered the move following remarks by Spain’s Minister for Youth and Children Sira Rego, who said the Spanish public supports a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea,” a slogan that Israel says can be interpreted as calling for the elimination of the State of Israel. Although summoning Spain’s senior diplomatic representative for a reprimand is an unusual step, Rego’s remarks come amid a prolonged deterioration in relations between Israel and the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. In March, Spain decided that its ambassador to Israel, Ana Salomón, would not return, lowering the level of diplomatic representation between the countries so that both were represented by chargés d’affaires rather than ambassadors.