A TRUE STATESMAN showing he really understands the subtle developments in diplomacy:



This afternoon the Socialist party is one of the official endorsers of an anti-war demonstration to be held in Madrid.

Even Saudi Arabia is not exactly blaming Israel. Let alone the G-8 group and all Western democratic countries. But Zapatero, the man, knows where his sympathies are. Funny thing is that afterwards he tried to do some damage control saying "well, I wasn't very comfortable wearing it."

If I was a believer I'd say: God help us all.

UPDATE. "Israel says Spain relations hurt by PM remark"

Israel's envoy to Spain said on Thursday the two countries' relations had been damaged after the Spanish prime minister accused Israel of using "abusive force" during an event at which he also wore a Palestinian scarf.

Spain's ability to use its influence to help defuse the growing Middle East conflict could suffer following the speech by Prime Minister
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to a meeting of young Socialists on Wednesday, Ambassador Victor Harel said. "Each declaration which is not balanced has consequences for parties who want to use their influence," Harel told reporters at Madrid's Ritz Hotel where he listened to Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos at a conference. Relations with Spain "are not in their best moment", he said.

Problem is, it's a badge of honor to be in bad terms with Israel, over here...

UPDATE II. Much more here, including this ridiculous defense of Zapatero by Foreign minister Moratinos:

[Moratinos] said he was not worried by the diplomatic effect of photographs in Spanish newspapers on Thursday of a grinning Zapatero wearing a black-and-white Palestinian scarf passed to him by a student at Wednesday's meeting.

"I imagine that when Prime Minister Zapatero goes to the Wailing Wall, he'll put on a kippah."

I didn't know we had already handled Alicante, where Zapatero' kefiyya-wearing took place, to the Palestinians. That would be the only way that the comparison would make any sense. Besides, I guess there are as many chances of him going to Israel as there are of Bush returning Zapatero's call (you'll remember that, after publicly rooting for Kerry's victory, Zapatero called Bush after he won in november 2004. Bush didn't pick the phone, and Zapatero is still waiting)

UPDATE III. Still much more here, including an alleged incident:

Although many experts had foretold of the imminent disappearing of European Jews, nobody expected such a virulent explosion of anti-Semitism in Spain, not even under a Leftist government.

The first signal came on Monday, 5 December, when during a dinner with the Benarroch family, Zapatero and wife began claiming what Vidal Quadras, member of the European Parliament, described on the radio as "a tirade of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism".

By the moment the Benarroch couple had left the table to express their regrets, Zapatero was explaining his lack of surprise about the Holocaust: according to the people present, Zapatero claimed to understand the Nazis.

I heard that the Benarroch family (no right-wingers, precisely) left a dinner after some Zapatero comments, but even though I'm not really a fan of Zapatero I have trouble believing he actually said openly that he understands the Nazis. So take this with a grain of salt.

UPDATE IV. The scandal keeps growing.

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