The Spanish Parliament still has to pass the new citizenship law, but the Cabinet has already approved it and Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón is sure there won't be a problem.
"In Spain, a clear majority realize we have committed a historical error and have an opportunity to repair it, so I am sure that law will pass with an immense majority in parliament," he said.
Historical apologies are in fashion — ex-South African President F.W. De Klerk apologized for apartheid, ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized for the slave trade and the Irish potato famine, and Pope John Paul II apologized for the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Church's historical oppression of women. But Spain isn't just saying sorry for expelling its Jews 522 years ago; it's offering to give their descendants back their citizenship.