Israel to summon Spanish, Belgian ambassadors for ‘harsh rebuke'

JERUSALEM

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen ordered on Friday the summoning of the Spanish and Belgian ambassadors in Tel Aviv for a “harsh rebuke,” over statements attributed to the two countries’ prime ministers at a press conference at the Rafah crossing.

The Spanish and Belgian leaders called for the protection of civilian population in Gaza.

In a statement, Cohen said: “We condemn the false claims of the Prime Ministers of Spain and Belgium who are giving support to terrorism and as a result of their words their ambassadors will be invited to a harsh rebuke conversation.”

“Israel is acting according to international law and fighting a murderous terrorist organization worse than ISIS that commits war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Cohen said.

He confirmed that Israel “will resume fighting after the ceasefire until the elimination of Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip and the release of all the abductees.”

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement: “Prime Minister Netanyahu strongly condemns the comments by the prime ministers of Belgium and Spain, who did not place total responsibility on Hamas for the crimes against humanity it perpetrated: massacring Israeli citizens and using Palestinians as human shields.”

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi