By Agustin Velloso
Special to PalestineChronicle.com

Ex-President Aznar made himself dismally famous four years ago when he chose to ally his fate with that of US President Bush in the war of aggression against Iraq.

The lies, clichés and slick, superficial slogans, that mixture of political machismo and fake Spanish-ism that are typical of Aznar, have broken out again lately, the difference being they come not from him – although he backs them 100% – but from the PSOE Zapatero government Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos.

Just before the start of the war on Iraq, Aznar said, "in a fight, Spain knows who to stand by and it will stand with its friends, with the USA". This is the same ill-starred mental bewilderment afflicting Moratinos, published by the EFE news service on November 15th, "Spain, simply, whatever the circumstances will always be on the side of Israel."

The same news service added "The Foreign Minister has confirmed that whoever is acquainted with him knows  the links "of friendship, assistance and commitment" towards Israel so it "lives in peace and security" is "absolute and total"." What was said before about Aznar, one now has to repeat about Moratinos:

Everyone is well aware that Spain has to be on the side of international law. Neither Aznar nor Moratinos are free to choose bad friendships while being President or Minister of a member State of the United Nations Organization. The UN has not authorized aggression by the United States (nor Israeli attacks on Arab nations: Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq or Syria). Nor has it authorized the partition of Iraq (or in the case of Palestine the separation Wall, the settlements, or the occupation of territory, including Jerusalem).

Are we to ally with a State condemned by the International Court of Justice for breaking international law? (Israel has the world record for breaking international law and UN Resolutions.) Aznar and Moratinos have forgotten their good buddy’s criminal record and are unwilling to note Israel’s likely current recidivism as it threatens Arab neighbours and Iran too.

It seems there is a tendency on the part of Spanish and European political leaders, without, of course, forgetting their US colleagues, to regard Israel with deference and servility, utterly oblivious to the obligations of their own positions and completely unafraid of ridicule.

It is unimaginable, for example, that a Spanish left wing official might, for example, declare total support for Venezuela’s Bolivarian project towards socialism. As well as that project being attractive to those who call themselves socialists, we are joined to that country by history, language, customs, religion, blood and whatever else one might want to add.

Still, Moratinos the socialist throws all Spain’s weight – the slightness of which he recognises, at least – behind a country that has broken international law since its founding 60 years ago, with which Spain has had diplomatic relations for just 20 years and with which it has little in common except military exchanges and arms sales; a country which is a pariah State not just for a billion Muslims but for a large part of the world; a country that daily kills and thieves in Palestine and which is the main ally – or more correctly, accomplice – of the other great planetary delinquent, the United States; a country that has recently attacked Lebanon leaving it with thousands dead and littered with bombs ready to explode; a country that threatens Iran and which has been covertly or openly involved in wars around the world, in Nicaragua, Colombia, South Africa and Iraq; a country with nuclear weapons; a country that has sentenced the Palestinians to genocide by means of a blockade unique in human history for being applied to refugees who are supposed to be protected – clearly no more than theoretically – by international law. The list goes on….

No doubt Israel has sought an expression of public support from Spain through convenient channels. It is out of the question that Moratinos, repeatedly presented in Spain for years as a recognised expert on the Arab world, as well as being a good friend to its peoples, suddenly, off his own bat forgets Israel’s history and changes friends just as Israel now tries yet again, this time in Annapolis, to paint itself before world public opinion not as the unrepentant aggressor it really is but rather as a partner for peace.

One needs to look back at the recent past to explain the re-heated love affair between Zionism and the PSOE. Just over a year ago on July 20th 2006, Moratinos attended a breakfast of the New Economic Forum with leading Zionist business people. According to El Pa