Catalonia suspends parliament and accuses Israel of violating international law

Catalonia's minister for EU and foreign affairs, Jaume Duch, has accused Israel of violating international law by intercepting the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza.

Speaking to Catalunya Ràdio on Thursday morning, Duch said that the Catalan government is following the situation "with concern," especially to ensure that members of the flotilla "can return home quickly."

"That's in the hands of the Israelis," he said.

Duch also said that his department is in contact with Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to "make sure all necessary consular and diplomatic steps are being taken."

Peaceful and pacifist

"The most important thing is that Israel understands it cannot afford to detain or hold people whose only action has been peaceful and pacifist activism," Duch said

"Israel lost the communications and image battle a long time ago regarding the barbarity it is committing in Gaza, about the genocide taking place there," he added.

Parliament suspended

The Catalan parliament has agreed to suspend Thursday's parliamentary session which was scheduled to begin at 9am in response to Israel's interception of the flotilla.

The motion was passed after parties on the left voted in favor of the suspension – the Socialists, Esquerra Republicana (ERC), Comuns, and CUP – while those on the right voted against – Junts, the People's Party (PP), Vox, and Aliança Catalana (AC).

Catalan MP Pilar Castillejo, head of the far-left pro-independence CUP parliamentary group, traveled as a member of the flotilla and is currently being held by Israeli authorities.

The Parliamentary Bureau passed a resolution "expressing its concern over the situation of MP Pilar Castillejo, who has been detained."

The chamber's governing body is "requesting maximum attention and swift diplomatic action to ensure the release of this representative of the people of Catalonia, and to guarantee the rights, safety, and physical wellbeing of the MP and the other citizens involved in this peaceful, humanitarian civil society initiative."

In addition, party spokespersons approved a declaration expressing solidarity with the flotilla and condemning what is happening in Gaza, but it will not be read in parliament because it failed to achieve the required qualified majority, as Junts, the PP, Vox, and AC did not support it.

President demands safe return

Catalan president Salvador Illa, has demanded that the Israeli government "respect international law" and guarantee the safe return of the Catalan members of the flotilla. 

Speaking in Rome, Illa said that he is in direct contact with the Spanish government and with the Spanish consul in Israel, who traveled on Thursday to the Israeli port where the members of the humanitarian mission are being held.

Illa indicated that the consul has not yet been able to meet with the activists but hopes to do so Friday morning.

The president expressed his wish that the flotilla members can return "safe and sound" to Catalonia very soon and said that the government will provide them with legal support.

The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, also demanded the immediate release of all flotilla members detained by Israel.

In an official statement, Collboni described the Global Sumud Flotilla as a "humanitarian and peaceful initiative" in the face of the "genocide and massacre" that Gaza is suffering.

He pointed out that several Barcelona residents were traveling with the flotilla, which departed from the Catalan capital on August 31.

Those include Collboni's predecessor as mayor, Ada Colau and current ERC councilor Jordi Coronas, both of whom "reflect how the city of Barcelona has been one of the most active and supportive in the world in defending humanitarian rights and the rights of the Palestinian people," the mayor said.

Spanish PM "guarantees diplomatic protection"

The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said on Thursday that his government will "offer diplomatic protection and ensure the rights of our compatriots are upheld."

Speaking in Copenhagen before attending the 7th meeting of the European Political Community, Sánchez insisted that the flotilla "poses no threat to Israel," and therefore expects that "Israel's actions will likewise pose no threat."

He also said that his government will consider taking legal action against Israel, but "for us right now the most important thing is the safety of our compatriots and ensuring that they can return home.” He added that it was necessary to "recognize and applaud" the solidarity of Spanish society and the organizers of the flotilla.

Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, has summoned Israel's acting ambassador in Madrid amid uncertainties over how many Spanish citizens have been detained.

"They have full diplomatic and consular protection," he added, before announcing that Spain's consul in Tel Aviv have traveled to the port where the detainees were taken.

When asked whether there is a possibility that the Israeli justice system might accuse the detainees of terrorism or having links to Hamas, the minister flatly rejected the notion.

"They are peaceful citizens with an exclusively supportive and humanitarian objective," he insisted, adding that he would not entertain accusations that are absurd."

Israel declares mission over

At around 12:30pm CEST, the Israeli government declared their mission to intercept the Global Sumud Flotilla over, stating that one final vessel from "this provocation" remains at a distance.

Israeli naval forces boarded vessels throughout the night, including boats carrying former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau and climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The operation began on Wednesday evening, when the group of forty vessels were about 70 nautical miles from Gaza, in international waters, according to the activists.