Speak with respect and without insults

Almost at the same time that thousands of protesters were impeding the normal progress of the final stage of the Vuelta a España, in Madrid, very close by, at the Pavón Theater, the curtain came down on the play Carmen, Nada de Nadie (Carmen, Nothing to Do With Anyone). And it did so with a bang. The actors who play some of the protagonists of the transition, including Carmen Díez de Rivera, left the stage waving a Palestinian flag and a kufiya. After the performance, the actors made this gesture to the Palestinian people, and the entire theater stood and applauded, in a silent cry. Young and old united, more than I expected given the play's attempt to explore how the "regime of '78" came about, as those who underestimate the collective effort that gave rise to one of the most prosperous and longest periods of coexistence in Spain's difficult history say.

"What happened that made Gaza not bring together the president and the opposition leader?"

Yes, a symbol, which doesn't harm Israel, and even less so its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, but it shows the world, and especially the Gazans, that we are thinking of them, that we are aware of the genocide to which Israel is subjecting them. Yes, genocide, even if Pedro Sánchez says so, because the UN has already established it as such. A symbol like Spain's boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel participates, which has caused so much ink to flow for such a trivial fact. More discussion than about the decision taken by the Government in 2024 to recognize the Palestinian State. What might have seemed extravagant at the time has since been adopted by many other countries: 147 of the 193 members of the United Nations. And among them France, Canada, Australia, Malta, the United Kingdom, and soon to be joined by others like Portugal, governed by the center-right, the counterpart of the PP, but not before consulting with the parties in the parliamentary spectrum.

We should draw some lessons and reflect on the situation this international conflict has caused in Spanish politics. Returning to the transition, the first question is: What happened that a genocide like that of the Gazans didn't warrant a meeting between the Prime Minister and the leader of the main opposition party? What happened that a decision like recognizing the Palestinian state wasn't the result of the consensus on state matters that the transition established in the way politics are conducted in Spain? Because it's the only way for the important things in this country not to depend on who governs.

Sánchez has not spoken with Feijóo to recognize Palestine as a state, nor to agree on the urgent measures announced by the president 14 days ago and still unapproved, both due to their complexity and because he still does not have the votes guaranteed to approve them. Sánchez and Feijóo last met in March, as part of a roundtable discussion between the president and the parliamentary groups, minus Vox, to discuss Ukraine and the mandatory increase in defense spending. Sánchez promised Feijóo to call him, to keep him informed, but not once. Contact between the head of the executive and the leader of the opposition, to discuss the Palestinian genocide, would not be out of place, because this is not over and much tougher decisions will have to be made. The government and opposition have spoken with Suárez, González, Aznar, Zapatero, Rajoy. Why not now?

Talking is always good and enriching. Sánchez did so on Thursday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Only the president used the word "genocide." Merz's position was very similar to Feijóo's, and in some respects he was closer to Aznar and Ayuso than to the leader of the People's Party (PP). And yet they spoke, they disagreed, without insults. They did so together, respectfully, with a handshake, seeking the few points of agreement. I wish we could see that between the two Spanish politicians.