Independence Means Ignoring the Naysayers

A Yom Ha’atzmaut Lesson for the Spanish Prime Minister

As we celebrate the 78th year of Israel’s independence this week, the blue and white flags fluttering across our homeland serve as a reminder of a miracle. Seventy-eight years of sovereignty, of greening the desert, and of building a world-class democracy. Yet, as we mark this milestone in 2026, the “naysayers” are louder than ever. Chief among them is Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who today—on the very eve of our celebrations—announced he will propose that the EU terminate its Association Agreement with Israel this Tuesday.

But for us, it is time to stop being surprised. It is time for our own “Spanish Inquisition”: a deep, unblinking look at the ideological roots of a leader whose hostility was always a foregone conclusion.

The Return to Zion: An Ancient Echo

To understand the challenges of our 78th year, we must look back to the time of Ezra and Nechemiah. When the Jews first returned from the Babylonian exile to rebuild the ruins of Yerushalayim in the 6th century BCE,  they weren’t met with regional cooperation. They were met by the original “Anti-Zionists”: Sanvallat the Horonite and Toviah the Ammonite.

Sanvallat and Toviah were enemies of the returning Jews who made several attempts to stop Nechemiah from rebuilding the walls of Yerushalayim. They are first mentioned in Nechemiah 2:10 as being deeply upset about the Jewish mission:

When Sanvallat the Horonite and Toviah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.

Just as the modern State of Israel represents a miraculous return to indigenous sovereignty, the return in the days of Ezra was a restoration that infuriated the local powers. The “Sanvallats” of that era were willing to do anything to besmirch our right to return and call our security into jeopardy.

The Playbook of the Insidious

Sanvballat and Toviah didn’t just disagree with the Judeans; they sought to delegitimize the entire project through a playbook that Pedro Sánchez seems to have memorized:

• Mockery and Devaluation: Toviah sneered that the Judean walls were so weak a fox could knock them over (Nechemiah 3:35). Sánchez mirrors this today by devaluing Israel’s security as “illegal,” treating our survival as a diplomatic nuisance. Last Fall he revealed his real longings, stating “Spain doesn’t have nuclear bombs, aircraft carriers or large oil reserves. We alone cannot stop the Israeli offensive.” (September 8, 2025)

• The “Open Letter” of False Accusation: Sanvallat sent an “open letter” to the surrounding nations, falsely claiming the Jews were planning a rebellion (Nechemiah 6:6). This is the biblical blueprint for the modern “genocide” libel—a false charge Sánchez uses to isolate the Jewish state on the global stage.

• The Unholy Alliance: Sanvallat and Toviah worked from the inside out, aligning with any enemy. We see this today in Sánchez’s decision to roll out the red carpet for the enemies of Israel. Just last week, while demanding that Europe break ties with the Jewish state, Sánchez made Spain the first Western nation to reopen its embassy in Tehran. As Israeli Foreign Minister Gid’on Sa’ar noted, this is an “eternal disgrace” (reference to Daniel 12:2) – cozying up to the Mullahs who fund our destruction while trying to starve Israel of its partnerships.

The Truth About the Man: Atheism and Third-Worldism

We shouldn’t be surprised by this hostility because it is baked into Sánchez’s DNA. As a self-defined atheist, the first to lead the country in Spain’s history, he has no connection to the Judeo-Christian history that recognizes the Jewish people’s ancient tie to this land. His worldview is a relic of 1960s “Third-Worldism” – a failed far-left theory that views the world through a simplistic lens of “imperialist oppressors” versus “oppressed victims.” In this comic-book version of history, Israel is cast as the villain, regardless of the fact that we are an indigenous people defending ourselves against a genocidal ring of fire. To stay in power, Sánchez has tethered himself to the far left-wing parties of Sumar and Podemos, whose leaders view “resistance” from Tehran to Gaza as noble, while viewing Jewish self-defense as a crime.

The Big Mouth of Little Might

Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gid’on Sa’ar have rightly dismissed Sánchez’s latest posturing. Netanyahu has accurately accused Sánchez of leading a “diplomatic war,”

Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us…Spain has defamed our heroes, IDF soldiers — the soldiers of the most moral army in the world

There is a teaching that rings especially true today: The countries with the least amount of military ability to change the world are often those with the loudest mouths. Sánchez admitted himself that Spain lacks the “nuclear bombs or aircraft carriers” to stop Israel. He can afford to scream from the rooftops of Madrid because he has no “skin in the game.” He risks no soldiers and no borders. Safe in his palace in Madrid, he critiques the “walls” we build in Israel, thereby courting the support of those radical parties that maintain for him his slim majority in parliament.

A 78-Year Resolve

As we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, we remember Nechemiah’s response to the Sanvallats of his day. When they tried to lure him away from his work with threats and diplomatic traps, he simply replied:

I am engaged in a great work and cannot come down, for the work will stop if I leave it in order to come down to you.(Nechemiah 6:3)

Independence means the right to ignore the naysayers. Spain may continue its “Inquisition” of our right to exist, but our answer remains the same.

We are busy building.

We are busy surviving.

And at 78, we have long since stopped waiting for the approval of those who have lost their moral compass.

Chag Ha’atzmaut Sameach!