Bilateral tension between Spain's antisemitic communist government and Israel

Relations between Israel and Spain reached a new point of tension on Monday, after the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the withdrawal of its ambassador in Tel Aviv "for consultations".

The measure came just a few hours after the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, accused Pedro Sánchez's government of "antisemitism" for its recent decisions against the Jewish state.

The diplomatic escalation comes after Sánchez's declaration to impose a total arms embargo on Israel, accompanied by restrictions on ships and aircraft bound for the country, as well as a ban on importing products from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

The socialist leader went even further by accusing Israel of "genocide" in Gaza, a term flatly rejected by Jerusalem and considered by many as a political distortion of the war against Hamas, the terrorist organization responsible for the massacre of October 7, 2023.

In response, Sa’ar announced personal sanctions against two Spanish cabinet ministers —Yolanda Díaz and Sira Rego—, banning them from entering Israel and from any official contact.

"The government of Spain is leading a hostile line, marked by open antisemitism and by a rhetoric of hate. There was no other option but to respond," the minister declared.

The Israeli Foreign Minister also linked the Spanish measures to an attempt to divert attention from the corruption scandals affecting the Sánchez administration.

In a defiant tone, he warned that if Spain wishes to break cooperation in defense matters, Madrid will be the one to suffer the consequences: "Israel doesn't need Spain to defend itself. On the contrary, it's Spain that probably needs our capabilities more than the other way around."

The controversy intensified due to the timing: while Sánchez was announcing the sanctions, Palestinian terrorists were carrying out an armed attack in Jerusalem that claimed the lives of six Israeli civilians, including Yaakov Pinto, a young immigrant of Spanish origin.

Sa’ar highlighted the paradox: "At the same time Sánchez was attacking Israel, Palestinian terrorists were murdering a Spanish-Israeli citizen. Sánchez and his crooked ministers have long since chosen to side with Hamas."

With this decision, Spain becomes the most hostile European country toward Israel, isolating itself even within the European Union. Sánchez's policy not only disregards Israel's legitimate need to defend its citizens against Hamas, but also indirectly rewards terrorism, while ignoring the massacre of October 7 and the ongoing threat to millions of Israelis.

Israel, meanwhile, has made it clear that it won't allow the ideological rhetoric of a foreign government to tarnish its right to self-defense. The diplomatic dispute with Madrid, far from intimidating Jerusalem, reaffirms the conviction that in the face of terrorism, concessions and external sanctions only strengthen those who seek to destroy the Jewish state.