Spanish PM Criticizes International Law Enforcement Double Standards

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. (Wikimedia Commons/© European Union, 1998 – 2026)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday called for consistency in enforcing international law, warning against double standards in responding to global conflicts.

PM Sanchez stressed that countries cannot condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine or defend Greenland's territorial integrity while remaining silent about violations elsewhere.

"What we cannot do is condemn the invasion of Ukraine and praise the attack (against) Iran," he told Spain's lower house of parliament, adding: "We cannot demand respect for Greenland's territorial integrity and remain silent when territorial integrity is violated in Gaza or Lebanon," as reported by Anadolu (25/3).

Furthermore, he emphasized, defending the international order requires coherence and consistency, warning that selective reactions undermine its credibility.

PM Sanchez also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to repeat in Lebanon "the same destruction and suffering that was carried out in Gaza."

The Spanish leader also criticized what he described as the wider consequences of the war in the Middle East.

"In my opinion, they have achieved the following: First, they have undermined international law, destabilized the Middle East, triggered conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon, and buried Gaza under ruins, not this time under concrete ruins, but under oblivion and indifference," he said.