Sanchez halts duties amid smear campaign by pro-‘Israel’ opponent

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez published a letter on social media earlier on Wednesday, indicating he would suspend his public duties after a “Madrid court has opened preliminary proceedings against my wife, Begona Gomez, at the request of an ultra-right-wing organization called Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), to investigate alleged crimes of influence peddling and business corruption.”

Known for being outspoken in his support of occupied Palestine, Sanchez noted that the two outlets whose heads are being brought in to testify in court are “outlets with marked right-wing and ultra-right-wing leanings.”

The Spanish PM once again, in his letter, stressed that the information is “alleged” and explained that it is the case given that he and his wife have both “been denying these falsehoods” while Begona also began taking “legal action against those same outlets so that they correct what we maintain is spurious information.”

At the core, this is political

The ongoing tactic of harassment and destruction has persisted for months, noted Sanchez who added “That is why I am not surprised by [Alberto Núñez] Feijoo’s and [Santiago ]Abascal’s over-reaction.”

The PM even dubbed Feijoo and Abascal as “key collaborators” alongside the ultra-right-wing Manos Limpias organization before explaining that Mr Feijoo “brought the case before the Conflict of Interests Office, requesting I be barred from public office for five to 10 years.”

Sanchez proclaimed: “This is an operation of harassment and destruction by earth, sea and sky with the intention of weakening me politically and personally by attacking my wife,” adding “I am not naive. I know that Begona is being accused not because she has done something illegal – they know this isn’t the case – but because she is my wife.”

“I am also fully aware that the attacks are not against me personally but rather what I represent: a progressive political option, backed in election after election by millions of Spaniards, based on economic progress, social justice, and democratic revival,” explained the Spanish PM who had, earlier in April, announced that Spain is set to recognize the Palestinian state “before summer”.

According to Sanchez, among the many reasons he is being harassed that, at the general elections of July 23, 2023, “the majority of Spanish people voted for progress, allowing the re-election of the progressive coalition government, and against the coalition government of Mr Feijoo and Mr Abascal, which conservative media and pollsters had predicted.”

Here it is significant to note that in December 2023, Spain’s Santiago Abascal flew on a solidarity visit to “Israel” where he condemned the Palestinian Resistance and made a speech about why Europe must support “Israel”.

According to the letter by Sanchez, Abascal and Feijoo’s have been “trying to dehumanize and delegitimize a political adversary though facile and scandalous accusations.”

In short, the Spanish Prime Minister wrote: “This is how I read the situation our beloved country is living through: a coalition of right-wing and ultra-right-wing interests that do not tolerate the reality of Spain, that do not accept the verdict of the ballot box, and that are prepared to sling mud in order to: first, cover up their own blatant corruption scandals and inaction before these; second, to hide their total lack of political project beyond insult and disinformation; and third, to use all means at their disposal to personally and politically destroy their political adversary.”

Sanchez concluded by asserting that he would make a media appearance on April 29 to announce his decision after taking a few days to think while also continuing to work despite canceling his public agenda until then.

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