GIBRALTAR | Britain's Unsolvable Dispute?

In this video, we delve into the ongoing territorial dispute over Gibraltar between Britain and Spain. After years of negotiations, both sides are close to a deal addressing issues stemming from the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union (Brexit). However, this agreement won’t end the 300-year-old sovereignty conflict over this strategically vital region.

Gibraltar, a small yet significant rocky peninsula at the southern tip of Spain, has been under British control since the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Its strategic position overseeing the Mediterranean makes it crucial for both military and trade purposes. However, post-Brexit, Gibraltar faces new challenges, particularly regarding border controls and economic relations with the EU. While a potential agreement could ease daily operations, fundamental differences remain unresolved. Britain upholds the principle of self-determination, emphasising that any status change must be approved by Gibraltar's residents, who favour British rule. Conversely, Spain maintains its historical claim to the territory, advocating for joint sovereignty—a proposal the Gibraltarians reject. This video explores the intricate history, current negotiations, and future prospects of the Gibraltar issue. Join us as we analyse this longstanding international conflict and its implications for global diplomacy.

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*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:43 Gibraltar and Long-Standing Disputes in International Relations
01:44 Gibraltar: History and Location
02:17 A Short History of Gibraltar
04:34 Gibraltar under British Rule
06:00 Gibraltar and Decolonisation
07:33 Gibraltar and Anglo-Spanish Relations, 1975-2016
12:24 A Final Agreement on Gibraltar?

*SOURCES AND FURTHER READING*
Government of Gibraltar
Parliament of Gibraltar
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Gibraltar | Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Gibraltar Parliament | YouTube Channel
Lisbon Statement (1980) and Brussels Declaration (1984)

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*MAP CONTENT*

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- The contents of this video and any views expressed in it were not reviewed in advance nor determined by any outside persons or organisation.
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#Gibraltar #Spain #UK

[JamesKerLindsay]

Well, what did you expect me to cover this week!? :-) I wasn't going to do this for a while. But the surprise English advancement to the Euro final against Spain made this impossible not to do! Seriously though, what are your thoughts on this? Is this a dispute that has just to be managed in perpetuity? Or is there a formula to settle it? Perhaps the Gibraltarians will eventually give up on British rule as the effects of Brexit wear them down. As always, let me know what you think.

[Catmint]

You always release these on Fridays around the end of the work day here in the U.S., which means I always get to start my weekend with them. 🎉😎🎉

[BlackLabelExpat]

Spain: We need our territory back
UK: What about Melilla and Ceuta
Spain: We are not talking about that right now

[pedroecijaserrano]

It is a good summary, but a bit one-sided (I do not mean that in a bad way). For example, Gibraltar wasn't held by a succession of foreign powers (Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and the Ummayyad Caliphate) without any intervention from the locals until 1462.For the vast majority of antiquity, it belonged to a local Iberian tribe (Turdetani). When Gibraltar was taken in the 1700s, the locals were expelled by the invading troops. They were later replaced with people loyal to the UK, hence the lack of Spanish identity nowadays. Common then, but now we call it ethnic cleansing. Nevertheless, I agree that regardless of how we got here, there is no point in ignoring the will of the Gibraltarians. In relation to the Treaties of Utretch, the nuance is that they refer to "the rock and the castle, " not including the ithsmus or the surrounding waters. The issue with that is the fishing rights, which Spain argues were never ceded, and the UK claims naturally follow from possession of the land. This is literally a daily headache in the area. Also, in mid or late 1800s (I dont remember the exact date), disease was going rampant through the barracks in Gibraltar. Spain allowed, on an interim basis, that new barracks were built on the ithsmus, to separate the ill from the healthy, and better deal with the outbreak. The UK never returned the ithsmus as per the agreement. That piece of land was not included in the Treaties of Utretch, but taken by the UK after a Spanish gesture of goodwill, which naturally bothers Spain to no end. In addition, Gibraltar's airport was built on the ithsmus, and extending over the water (that Spain maintains was never ceded), so you see how the thing itches to Spanish people familiar with the topic. There is a UN resolution from the 1960s requiring Gibraltar to be decolonised, but it was obviously ignored. In relation to Schengen, and border control issues, the UK didn't join Schengen, therefore, Gibraltar didn't either. Gibraltar has complained to EU's Frontex many times about excessive controls on the border, but Frontex has always ruled that they are proportionate and consistent with a non-Schengen border. Many issues arose by Gibraltar's understandable zeal with keeping authority over its surrounding waters, which Spain equates with providing safe harbour to smugglers and drug dealers pursued by the Spanish civil guard. There were also issues in the past with oil tankers anchoring in Gibraltar to operate as floating petrol stations, which ended up polluting Spanish waters due to frequent spills. As it is now, Gibraltar and the Spanish side (La Línea) have a situation of co-dependence, they need each other. Brexit has dealt a terrible hand to Gibraltar. A few years ago some colleagues who live there said that, after Brexit, they get a weekly ship from the UK, restocking M&S, but the shelves are empty again by the evening. What keeps the place supplied is the Spanish supermarket. They also depend on Spanish hospitals for healhcare, and many Gibraltarians actually lived in Spain because housing in Gibraltar is so scarce that it became prohibitive. The place's strategic value is no more for as long as Spain and UK are in NATO. Rota, in nearby Cadiz, is the best NATO base in the area, and the most used. Even the Royal Navy uses it primarily over Gibraltar. Ironically, Cadiz was the original target of the Anglo-Dutch force that landed in Gibraltar. They were repelled, dug in, and met the end of the war still there. I hope you find the extra information that I have added interesting, maybe to have a better understanding of why it is such an issue for some Spaniards.

[tylerpartridge]

I always find it funny how Spain🇪🇸has such a problem with Gibraltar🇬🇮but when Morocco🇲🇦complains of Ceuta and Melilla - it falls on deaf ears 🤷‍♂️

[Pikaling]

Great timing for that video with the Euro 2024 final.

[Jeracraft]

Hi random Minecraft youtuber here, but also as a Gibraltarian myself, the tension with Spain is a constant worry. Here in Gibraltar, we all have a strong sense of pride in being Gibraltarian and British. It’s not just about a flag or a title; it’s about our history too, our identity, and the rights we’ve held onto for generations.

But there’s always that undercurrent of worry. With Spain pressing claims on Gibraltar, it feels like we’re always under the microscope, having to justify who we are and what we want. with a population of just around 35, 000 people it feels almost helpless against the "bigger bully", especially when we hear political rhetoric from across the border that suggests our voices and wishes might not matter. And while Spain and the UK sometimes talk about cooperation, it’s hard not to feel like we’re just some bargaining chip in a larger game. All we want is to live peacefully without the constant question of our sovereignty looming over us. Being British isn’t just a preference for most Gibraltarians—it’s part of our very identity, way of life, and no amount of pressure will change that.

Spain continually resorts to tactics that seem intended to make our daily lives harder, as if that will somehow sway us to their side. Long border queues are a classic example; these arbitrary delays can mean hours of waiting just to cross over a line, and the worst part is, it mostly affects their own people as thousands of Spaniards cross the border daily for work here in Gibraltar. These bullying tactics aren’t helping Spain’s cause; if anything, they strengthen our resolve to remain British.

I would also like to mention that we have a very peaceful and diverse community, I hear the same argument all the time that "OfCourse they voted to remain British, they are all from Britain" and this is just pure nonsense, my grandad is Spanish and Most Gibraltarians are a mix of Genoese, British, Spanish, Maltese, and Portuguese descent. We have a large Moroccan, Indian and Jewish community and not a single soul here wants to be part of Spain, especially not after they separated our family's when their dictator franco decided to close the boarder.

[EstrellaPolux]

"Gibraltar was taken and retained when we were not at war with Spain, and it was retained contrary to every law of morality and honour. " John Bright 1869

[drmccoy]

England: "Let us win the Euros and we will give you Gibraltar."
Spain: "I' will get back to you Monday"

[kw]

haha nice one man, with the football final coming up this is good time to get this out

[casperghst]

As for Schengen, rememeber that the UK never was a part of it, which would then raise the question why the Rock should be part of it.

[ahones]

Gibraltar is nothing other than a non-autonomous territory, subject to the decolonisation process, in two words: a colony. In 1963 it was included in the UN list of territories to be decolonised and it has not left there. Since that year, therefore, the Special Committee of the United Nations in charge of examining the situation regarding the application of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the so-called Committee of 24, has it among the territories under its jurisdiction. In 1964 this Committee reached a consensus on the situation in the non-self-governing territory of Gibraltar, urging the United Kingdom and Spain to begin talks without delay in order to find a negotiated solution. The following year the General Assembly endorsed the terms of the consensus and invited both nations to begin said conversations. Year after year the UN has maintained this mandate to the two states, which therefore remains fully in force. It is also interesting to note that the UN urges decolonisation in accordance with the principle of territorial integrity and not by virtue of any supposed right of self-determination of a hypothetical Gibraltarian "people" (in fact, in 1967 it condemned the referendum held in Gibraltar). It does establish, however, that the interests of the population of Gibraltar must be heard. For that they have an excellent channel: the British Government. the negotiation on sovereignty corresponds exclusively to LondonSecondly, Spain has reiterated to the United Kingdom on countless occasions its willingness to resume these conversations. And I say return because in the Lisbon Declaration of 1980, both countries proposed to resolve the problem of Gibraltar in a spirit of friendship and in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations. Four years later, the Brussels Declaration corroborated the Lisbon Declaration and established a process to implement what was agreed. Unfortunately, the UK decided not to go ahead.

[ianc]

Dispute... surely not? The treaty of Utrecht (1713) has some pretty final key words... "for ever, without any exception or impediment whatsoever."

The territory has been British for longer than it was Spanish.

[ojloub]

England has used the same strategy every where in the world, take the land, colonize it, and 200 years later when the majority is English make a referendum in the name of democracy. 😂😂😂

[EmmaMaySeven]

When I compare Gibraltar to the similar situation in Northern Ireland, I feel that the same principles leads to radically different outcomes. I can imagine the population of Northern Ireland one day voting for reunion with the Republic of Ireland. I also know that the Republic respects the people of Northern Ireland in their right to make that decision. But I can't ever see Gibraltar voting themselves into Spain, nor that Spain will genuinely respect their decision not to join.

(On a personal level, I really dislike when national leaders put historical claims over and above the rights of people living in the area. Unless that history is very recent or still has deeply negative consequences today (I can imagine such an example but won't name it), I don't respect people who do this. History doesn't have feelings and can't be offended by the present. We should concentrate on fixing the moral wrongs of today, not the perceived wrongs of the past.)

[greattobeadub]

How about Gibraltar introducing VAT like in the UK and EU? Also stopping cigarettes being smuggled into Spain would be nice.

[FredoRockwell]

Great video! I'm in Spain right now so I watched it with particular interest! I can't remember if you've made a video about Ceuta, but I've never quite understood what appears to be a very inconsistent position by Spain. Thanks again!

[rallemeister]

Its convenient for the british to say that we should let the people that live in Gibraltar vote and let them decide. When you drove out the original population when you took Gibraltar in 1704. That is the reason it is considered a colony by the UN. Because the people that lived there, where displaced. And after that displacement you repopulated Gibraltar with a lot of British, not only but a lot.

You like to bring up Ceuta and Melilla a lot in this conversations but there is no point to that. As those Spanish cities have been spanish BEFORE there was any form of Morocco, at all. There is nothing that makes it a colony. As the UN says itself, Ceuta and Melilla are not colonies, but Gibraltar is a colony.

James makes great material. But in this video he left some things out. We have to be honest in that the UK has been taking advantage of Spain about the territory around Gibraltar. In the 1850s during an epidemic the Spanish gave the UK permission to built barracks in Spain outside of the agreed territory of British Gobraltar to combat the epidemic. And after the epidemic that Spain helped the UK to combat, the UK stayed and created a new border basically stealing land. And then again for example in 1908 the UK took yet more territory. Amd the uk again extends artificial land to build a god damn airport on stolen territory that is outside of the agreed area according to the treaty. Where does it say in the tready that the UK can take territory as they please?


We Spanish people are actually really fed up with this. There is more, but this comment is already to long.

Those are the problems problem.

[oliversherman]

I'm from the UK but I live in southern Spain. I've visited Gibraltar easily over a hundred times since moving to Spain two years ago as I visit it every week. Everyone I've spoken to in Gibraltar is proudly British Gibraltarian and none of them have announced any interest in joining Spain

[edmundflett]

Apart from the issue of the isthmus, Spain is very hard to sympathise with. One of the foremost colonial powers of all time signs a bit of land away in a treaty. They come to regret that. That piece of land develops its own separate culture, and overwhelmingly rejects annexation into Spain. Some international conflicts are shades of grey, but this one is just tedious nationalist irredentism. No amount of decolonial verbiage can hide the hypocrisy.