On Sunday, pro-Palestinian activists in Majorca staged a protest at a hotel in Palmanova owned by an Israeli chain. As part of the demonstration, they poured red dye into the swimming pool to create the appearance of blood, symbolising their solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The action was both a political statement and an act of vandalism. The island has been plaged by overtourism-related protests over the past couple of years – but now pro-Palestinian protests pose a new threat against Majorca’s tourism industry.
In a statement, the activists explain it comes after “more than 700 days of escalating Zionist genocide against the Palestinian people, rooted in colonialism and serving imperialist interests.” They also pointed to the hotel chain as “an Israeli company vital to the financing and whitewashing of genocide.”
On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that his government would step up pressure on Israel by prohibiting vessels and aircraft transporting weapons to the country from docking in Spanish ports or passing through Spanish airspace. He also confirmed that Spain would boost financial support for the Palestinian Authority and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), while introducing a ban on products originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The statement accuses the hotel group of helping to entrench colonial control in Palestine and of serving as part of a “propaganda machine aimed at whitewashing genocide.”
It points to examples such as conferences hosted by the Israeli embassy at some of its European properties, as well as complimentary stays allegedly offered to Israeli soldiers involved in operations against Palestinian families, including incidents that have affected more than 35,000 children.
In a televised address, Sánchez stated that Spain would also bar entry to individuals directly involved in what he described as “genocide”.
He said: “We hope that they will serve to add pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government to alleviate some of the suffering that the Palestinian population is enduring.”