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Spain legitimately prides itself in the cultural richness it inherited from the Muslims of past centuries. Today it enjoys excellent relations with both the Islamic and Arab worlds and is highly involved in Mideast affairs. The European Unions special envoy to the Middle East, Miguel Angel Moratinos, is a Spaniard. So is Javier Solana, NATOs former secretary-general, a man deeply engaged in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

Systematically, Spain and its media side with the Palestinians and the Arabs in their war against the Jewish state, accusing Israel of being colonialist and expansionist, as well as of using excessive force in its retaliations.

It is consequently bizarre to witness Spains handling of its own conflict with Morocco, a member-state of both the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. These two countries have a dispute over a few colonial outposts, namely the areas of Melilla and Ceuta and an islet called Isla del Perejil by Spaniards and Leila Islands by Moroccans.

On July 11, members of the Royal Moroccan Gendarmery disembarked on the islet and planted their country’s flag. The islet had been under Portuguese rule since 1415, and under Spanish control since 1688. During the following centuries, Spain, Morocco and Great Britain squabbled over the tiny, rocky island. In 1956, Morocco gained independence and claimed that the islet belonged to it.

With the territorial dispute still unresolved, in 1960 Morocco and Spain agreed that neither country would establish a permanent presence there. Morocco violated that bilateral agreement in July, and Spain — after exhausting the diplomatic channel in a mere six days — responded with military force. On July 17, Spanish commandos backed by four naval vessels and six helicopters retook the island inhabited only by wild goats.

«Spain was attacked by force in a very sensitive part of its geography,» said Spanish Minister of Defense Federico Trillo. «In military terms, we are talking about a clear act of legitimate defense.» Thats true, but it bears noting that the islet is at a safe distance from the coast of Spain.

No Moroccan «Fatah Brigade» or Moroccan «Islamic Jihad» operated there. No mortar shell was ever fired from Perejil against Barcelona. No massacre against pizza-goers in Madrid was ever planned on the islets soil. There werent even children throwing stones against the «soldiers of the Spanish occupation.» And yet, Spain, which so often chastises Israel for its conduct when facing these dangers, invaded and evicted an «enemy» that posed no considerable threat. On July 20, Spain and Morocco resolved their ridiculous confrontation; the 75 Spanish soldiers who had been stationed there during the conflict began to leave.

Some commentators labeled the Perejil comedy/affair a «miniature war» and a «microcosm of the clash of civilizations,» given that NATO and the EU sided with Spain whereas the Arab League and the Islamic world supported Morocco. However small the facts on the ground, and however microscopic their consequences, the accompanying hypocrisy has been mammoth.

A more-telling case of Spanish diplomatic duplicity can be found in its conflict with Great Britain over the Rock of Gibraltar. This strategically located island has been under British control since 1704. The 30,000 Gibraltarians, mostly descendants of Mediterranean immigrants, favor British rule. They have a parliament, political parties and an elected leader.

Nonetheless, Spain haggles over control of air traffic to Gibraltars airport and over the islands international phone code. Vehicles crossing into Spain are held at the border for hours. The Tony Blair administration seems willing to cede sovereignty over Gibraltar to Spain, which Gibraltarians oppose, calling the initiative » a gratuitous betrayal of our political rights and legitimate aspirations as a people.»

The Gibraltarians are calling for a referendum on the final deal between Great Britain and Spain. The Jose Maria Aznar administration rejected the idea and stated that the nationalist aspirations of the Gibraltarians would not be honored.
So the Spaniards are keeping Gibraltarians waiting for hours at border checkpoints and denying them the right of self-determination. It looks like collective humiliation and oppression. Sounds familiar?

Julián Schvindlerman is a political analyst and journalist in Washington D.C.