The CNMV report that indicates why El País treats Israel with so much hostility

@ElentirENG ES 10·26·2023 · 18:22 0

The hostility of certain Spanish media against Israel, even after the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas, is something embarrassing.

The socialist newspaper El País dedicates a long article to Hamas that omits the word 'terrorist'
A report by a European NGO uncovers the new antisemitism of the far-left

The hostility of the socialist newspaper El País towards Israel

One of the Spanish media most hostile to Israel is the socialist newspaper El País, owned by Grupo PRISA and very close to the government of Pedro Sánchez. Yesterday, the Spanish Jewish association ACOM thus described the treatment of that newspaper to the news about the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and about the Israeli counterattack: "Indistinguishable from that of any Hamas spokesperson, from whom they buy all data and speech."

What a CNMV report says about PRISA's main shareholders

Beyond the leftist ideological militancy of that newspaper (remember that antisemitism is especially strong on the extreme left), could there be economic reasons behind such a radical position of El País? To find out, just go to the page of the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) on "Promotora de Informaciones S.A.", that is, the PRISA Group, the entity that owns El País. Once on that page, click on the link "Información sobre gobierno corporativo" (Information on Corporate Governance).

On the "Information on corporate governance" page there are links to the annual reports on the management of the PRISA Group. The last of these reports (see PDF), with official registration number 2023041326, was registered on March 29, 2023 and corresponds to the data for the year 2022. Section A.2 includes "the direct and indirect holders of significant participations at the closing date of the fiscal year, including directors who have a significant participation."

One of the main shareholders of PRISA is a relative of the emir of Qatar

Reviewing this information, you can see that the fifth name that appears on the list is Khalid Bin Thani Bin Abdullah Al Thani, who has an indirect stake in the PRISA Group of 4.92%. And who is this man? The website of Grupo PRISA dedicates a page to him in which he is mentioned as Shk. Khalid Thani A. Al Thani and indicates that he is "Member of the Board of Directors". The page includes this text:

"Shk. Dr. Khalid bin Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani is a prominent Qatari businessman with diverse interests in banking, real estate, insurance, financial securities, healthcare, telecommunications, media, information technology, humanitarian services, education and tourism industries. He is the president of several listed companies in Qatar, co-founder and benefactor of several non-profit organizations and business associations. In addition to his business activity, he is a great fan to sport and key benefactor of major sporting events and national and international sports associations".

Below it is indicated that this man is "Chairman of Qatar Islamic International Bank". For those who do not know this entity, it is enough to say that it is the first financial institution in that Islamic emirate and it is a state bank, according to the Qatari Businessmen Association website. But this PRISA Group shareholder is more than just a relevant Qatari banker: He is a member of the Al Thani, the most powerful family in that emirate, to which the current head of the State of Qatar, Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, belongs.

An absolute monarchy that persecutes Christians

Let us remember that Qatar is an absolute monarchy. The Al Thani family has controlled the emirate for more than 150 years, as noted by the BBC in 2017. Politically, Qatar is a dictatorship in which political parties are prohibited and there are no free elections. Furthermore, the supreme law of the country is Islamic law. As a consequence, Qatar is one of the countries where Christians are most persecuted.

Discrimination against women and persecution of homosexuals in Qatar

Likewise, in that Islamic emirate homosexuality is illegal and is punishable by up to 7 years in prison. As in many other Islamic countries, women suffer all kind of discrimination in Qatar. Furthermore, that country punishes blasphemy with the death penalty. I don't know how El País is able to fit these things with its activism in favor of feminism, the LGBT movement and the separation between Church and State, although certainly, El País's hostility to Christianism rivals with the Islamic emirate.

Qatar is one of the main supporters of Hamas terrorists

On the other hand, Qatar is the main international support of Hamas terrorists along with Iran and Turkey. In 2012, the current Emir of Qatar became the first head of state to visit the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas. Currently, the head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, resides in Qatar, while he gives orders to his hitmen to prevent the population of Gaza from using any humanitarian corridor to leave their areas of residence. Is it now better understood what is behind El País's hostility to Israel?

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Photo: El País.