Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: migliorano le relazioni tra Spagna ed Israele

http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/analysis/59337/new-dawn-spain-israel
 
 
Following the victory of the centre-right Popular Party in Spain's
general elections last month, most eyes will be on the nation's
fragile finances. Perhaps just as significant, however, will be a
shift in foreign policy. New Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a self-
proclaimed Atlanticist, is widely known to be keen to rebuild bridges
with Israel following a diplomatic cold war between the two countries.
 
Under Rajoy's predecessor, José Luis Zapatero, Spain's relationship
with Israel worsened considerably. His strong anti-American streak led
to a rather simplistic view of the Middle East, culminating in a
series of tirades against Israeli policy.
 
In 2006, Zapatero was photographed wearing a Palestinian keffiyah at a
rally, causing diplomatic concern. The gesture prompted accusations of
"barely concealed anti-Zionism" from Popular Party officials. Rajoy,
then in opposition, accused the Socialist leader of starting a
"crusade against Israel".
 
In spite of historical ties with the Jewish people - recent DNA
surveys suggest that up to 20 per cent of Spaniards have Sephardic
ancestry - Spain's relationship with Israel has always been tense.
Spain only formally recognised Israel in 1986, largely a legacy of
Francisco Franco's dictatorship. Franco's obsession with a supposed
Judeo-Masonic conspiracy led him to resist any moves favourable to
Israel. Zapatero, a socialist, has been unable or unwilling to
appreciate the irony of prolonging the right-wing dictator's hostility
towards the Jewish state.
 
While it would be unfair to accuse Zapatero of antisemitism, his
encouragement of anti-Zionism has done little to improve the image of
Jews in Spain.
 
Numerous studies suggest that Spain is now the most antisemitic
country in Europe. In 2008, The Pew Research Centre's Global Attitudes
project found that 46 per cent of Spaniards held negative views of
Jews, as opposed to nine per cent in the UK. This summer, the
departing Israeli ambassador to Spain, Raphael Schultz, denounced the
"antisemitism and hatred that exist in Spanish society".
 
So what can we expect from Spain's new leader? Rajoy's Popular Party
has sought to re-invent the Spanish right. Any vestiges of Franco are
long-gone and his government is keen to mend relations with both
Israel and the US. Just a week after being elected, Rajoy put in a
friendly call to Netanyahu after the Israeli Prime Minister sent him a
congratulatory message on his election. The signs are positive.
 
Party spokesman Alejandro Muñoz Alonso has said that Spain must
"recover the influence that it enjoyed not so long ago". Whether a
rapprochement with Israel will lead to a warming of attitudes towards
the country's tiny Jewish population remains to be seen.
 
 
 

 with Israel worsened considerably. His strong anti-American streak l
 
ROTFL.

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la cosa comica e' che l'antiamericanismo per voi non e' mai abbastanza

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se non aiutare gli yankee a massacrare irakeni è antiamericanismo,
allora essere umani è antiamericano, e essere sociopatici è
filoamericano