Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced an arms embargo and partial import ban over Israel’s wartime conduct in Gaza, setting off an angry back-and-forth that culminated in Madrid pulling its envoy from Tel Aviv.
In a televised address, Sanchez said the sanctions and other measures against Israel were aimed to “stop the genocide in Gaza, pursue its perpetrators, and support the Palestinian population.”
Aside from an embargo on defense trade with Israel, Sanchez said Spain would also bar entry of those participating in what he dubbed a “genocide” against Palestinians, prohibit Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from docking at Spain’s ports or entering its airspace, and ban the import of goods from West Bank settlements.
The wide-reaching measures were condemned by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who announced shortly ahead of Sanchez’s address that he would impose sanctions on two Spanish ministers, accusing Spain’s government of advancing antisemitic policies.
“The government of Spain is leading a hostile, anti-Israel line, marked by wild, hate-filled rhetoric,” Sa’ar said, accusing Sanchez’s administration of trying to “divert attention from grave corruption scandals” with its anti-Israel stance.
In response to Sa’ar’s accusations, Spain’s Foreign Ministry said it was recalling its ambassador from Tel Aviv for consultations.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares made the decision “in the face of the slanderous accusations against Spain and the unacceptable measures against two members of our country’s government,” a foreign ministry source said.
The Foreign Ministry in Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the move.
The exchange marked a new low in ties between Jerusalem and Madrid, which have steadily deteriorated, as Spain’s government has expressed increasing anger and frustration against Israel over the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, which killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
Spain’s government has prohibited sales and purchases on military equipment with Israel since the start of the war, however, the recently announced measures would enshrine the prohibition in law, Sanchez said in his statement.
The Spanish premier added that “those people participating directly in the genocide, the violation of human rights and war crimes in the Gaza Strip” will be barred from entering Spanish territory.
Spain will also ban the importation of products from “illegal settlements” in the West Bank with the aim of stopping “the forced displacement of the Palestinian population” and supporting the two-state solution, he continued. Consular services for Spanish citizens residing in Israeli settlements will also be limited “to the legally obligatory minimum assistance.”
Sanchez also announced new collaboration projects in agriculture, food security and medical aid to support the Palestinian Authority and additional humanitarian funds for Palestinians.
Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel, is the most senior European leader to have called the fighting in Gaza a “genocide.” His left-wing government broke with European allies last year by recognizing a Palestinian state, a move which infuriated Israel.
Several European countries, including France and the UK, have since announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state next month.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 64,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Shortly ahead of Sanchez’s speech, Foreign Minister Sa’ar issued a lengthy statement announcing that Israel would impose sanctions on Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz and Minister of Children and Youth Sira Rego.
“It is no longer possible to avoid imposing personal sanctions on members of the Spanish government who have crossed every red line,” Sa’ar said in his announcement. “The entry of these ministers into Israel is prohibited, and Israel will not maintain any contact with them.”
He said the Spanish government’s statements and policy are “tainted” with antisemitism, and the issue would be brought to the plenary of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, accusing Spanish politicians of “overt antisemitism.”
“Further decisions will be taken in due course,” he added.
At a later press conference in Budapest, Sa’ar said Spain would suffer more from the arms trade ban than Israel would.
“If [Spain wants] to halt defense ties with Israel, who do you think will lose from that? We don’t need Spain to defend the land of Israel. On the contrary, they probably need Israeli capabilities far more than we need theirs,” he said.
In response to Sa’ar’s statement about antisemitism, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said it “strongly rejects the false and slanderous accusations of antisemitism” and that Madrid “would not be intimidated in its defense of peace, international law and human rights.”
Sanchez’s announcement came as Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a crowded Israeli bus stop, killing six people and wounding 12 more. Among those killed was 25-year-old Spanish-Israeli dual national Yaakov Pinto, and Sa’ar later linked the attack to European moves toward recognition of a Palestinian state, which Israel has charged is a reward for terror.
Sanchez expressed his “strongest condemnation” of the shooting attack.
“I wish to convey my condolences to the Israeli people and, in particular, to the families of the victims, among whom is the Spanish citizen Yaakov Pinto,” Sanchez wrote in a Spanish-language post on X.
“Violence is not the way. We are convinced that peace in the Middle East is possible,” he added.
Sa’ar blasted Sanchez on X for the timing of his announcement.
“At the very same time that [Sanchez] attacked Israel — Palestinian terrorists attacked and murdered six Israelis, among them [Pinto]” wrote Sa’ar on X.
“Sanchez, and his twisted ministers who justified the [2023 Hamas-led] October 7 massacre, has long since chosen to stand with Hamas and against Israel. Disgraceful!” the foreign minister fumed.