Tension soars during heated Gaza debate at Malaga city hall

The municipal debate in Malaga city council over Gaza, which took place on Thursday, 25 September, looked and sounded more like a heated parliamentary session due to the scope of the political topic. The Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip was one of the issues discussed, as proposed by socialists Con Málaga and PSOE. The tension was felt even before the start of the formal discussion when PSOE spokesperson Dani Pérez asked for a minute's silence for the Palestinian victims. Mayor Francisco de la Torre agreed but made it clear that it would be a sign of respect for the victims of both countries and reminded that there are many wars around the world, proceeding to give some examples. Toni Morillas from Con Málaga demanded that the Palestinian flag be flown in the Casona del Parque. Spokesperson for the ruling conservative party (PP) Elisa Pérez de Siles said that speeches should not begin before the start of the session. A hostile environment was felt in the city council.

The motions called for an urban space in the Parque del Oeste to be named after Gaza, as well as for the cessation of business with Israeli investors, the recognition of Palestine, the placement of its flag in the city council and the use of the term 'genocide' to describe what is happening in Gaza. None of these issues were approved due to the opposing votes of the PP and hard-right Vox. The former rejected them on the basis of seeking balance, while the latter denounced the discussion of political topics that transcend the municipal sphere.

Earlier in the morning, the Grupo Socialista Buenos took the Palestinian flag to the empty flagpole outside the city council, next to the Ukrainian flag. "We ask that the Palestinian flag be flown here in protest against the genocide carried out by Israel," Pérez said.

Francisco Javier Barquín from Al-Quds condemned genocide deniers and provided several reports that supported the use of the term to describe what is happening in Palestine. He asked the ruling team to make a decision based on the social majority, backed up by surveys.

Laura Vacas from the Flotilla de la Libertad denounced the bombing of their boat two nights ago and called on institutions to take a stand to "protect people who are not allowing themselves to be intimidated by Zionist interests". "The ships that go there carry food and medicine and the hearts broken by the indifference of the West," she said.

With a Palestinian headscarf, Sergio Andrés Martín from the Unadikum association spoke of starving children, destroyed hospitals, crying mothers and all kinds of examples of the tragedy in Palestine. "Aren't you fed up? I am sick of seeing children die before our eyes." He reminded the city council of the famine declared by the UN - the first outside Africa in a long time. "Malaga cannot continue looking the other way," he said. "If we keep quiet now, humanity dies. We won't let that happen," he stated.

Dani Pérez asked the mayor to retract the statement he made on Wednesday in which he said that "talking about genocide is playing into the terrorists' hands". "What is being perpetrated by Israel is genocide. There are more than 680,000 people, mostly children under the age of five. It is an aberration. You have the opportunity to take a stand. There is no room for an equidistant stance. The State of Israel is acting in a terrorist manner, it is annihilating the population of the Gaza Strip," Pérez said. The councillor urged the mayor to take a position consistent with his Christian-democratic ideology, while clearly condemning Hamas terrorist attacks.

De la Torre stated that the actual number of victims is not the one cited by the PSOE and that it is ten times lower, although he acknowledged that it is still a serious figure.

"You are accomplices of terrorist Zionism. I am ashamed that you are the highest representative of this city. You have been denying the genocide for two years and refusing to raise the flag and make a simply symbolic gesture," said Morillas, who questioned Malaga's links to Israeli funds and businesses.

The Con Málaga spokesperson criticised the mayor for having said that "genocide is a very strong term". She reminded the city council of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Benjamin Netanyahu. "Israel is a supremacist state. Since 1947, it has been carrying out ethnic cleansing and violating human rights with an apartheid policy. Take off your 2030 badge. You do not name genocide for what it is, you place yourself on the margins of human rights. This is no longer the time for gestures. It is time to break impunity and break diplomatic relations with Israel. Long live Free Palestine," she stated.

Vox spokesperson Antonio Alcázar condemned the fact that a complex international conflict has become a matter of municipal debate. "Our duty is to solve the problems of the people of Malaga. We do not have, nor should have, the power to judge foreign governments. There is already the International Criminal Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We want this conflict to end," he said. He was particularly harsh on the singling out of companies because of their Israeli origin as, in his opinion, it breaks all the principles of equality and public procurement and becomes a form of persecution. "They import the conflict into our institutions and induce a dangerous polarisation," he said.

Councillor for citizen participation Mar Torres defended the PP's position. She began by quoting King Felipe VI, who urged Spaniards not to look the other way in the face of aberrant acts taking place at the opposite end of the UN's principles. The head of state condemned the Hamas massacre against the Israeli people before demanding a ceasefire and that medicines and food be allowed to reach the people of Gaza. He also called for the recognition of the two states. "In the PP, we endorse the statements of Felipe VI. We condemn violence wherever it comes from. On 7 October, there was a serious attack by Hamas against Israel. We cannot legitimise a terrorist organisation. Israel, on the other hand, must abide by international law," Torres declared. She said that the city council works with associations that defend the rights of the Palestinian people. "We always defend peace and international legality, without simplism," she concluded.

"This flag is recognised and should be flown next to the Ukrainian flag and also in the Patio de Banderas," Pérez said. "My five-year-old daughter saw the famous photo of a crying child with his brother on his back and asked me why they were crying. I was not able to explain it to her."

The PP proposed a series of amendments based on condemning both Hamas and the killings by the Israeli side; creating humanitarian corridors; leaving the matter in the hands of the competent national or international bodies. These were rejected by PSOE and Con Málaga.

Nicolás Sguiglia from Con Málaga criticised the wording of the minute's silence on the city council's X (Twitter) profile. "A minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023 and all victims of the war that started then, mostly the Palestinian civilian population that is suffering the offensive of the Israeli army."