MADRID: Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday awarded the Order of Civil Merit to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese, in an apparent show of solidarity with the expert sanctioned by the US for her work.

Sanchez presented the Order of Civil Merit to Albanese, an Italian, in Madrid “for her extensive work documenting and denouncing the violations of international law in Gaza”, his office said in a statement.

Washington announced sanctions on Albanese, who has long accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, for “biased and malicious” criticism of the United States and Israel.

Sanchez asked the European Commission on Wednesday to prevent US sanctions on Albanese from being implemented in the bloc, his office added.

France and Germany have also called for her resignation over remarks in which she referred to a “common enemy of humanity”, but Albanese denies the phrase referred to Israel.

Israel’s envoy summoned

Spain also summoned Israel’s top envoy in Madrid to protest the “unacceptable and intolerable” detention of a Spanish activist from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the foreign minister said.

An Israeli court has extended until Sunday the detention of Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, as well as another activist, Brazilian Thiago Avila, snubbing international demands for their release.

On Wednesday, “we again summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires to convey to her how unacceptable and intolerable it is to extend the detention of our citizen,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told parliament.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2026