Spain summoned Israel’s acting ambassador after the Israeli PM’s office accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of threatening Israel, deepening tensions.
Dana Erlich, Israel's charge d'affaires in Spain and the nation's top diplomat, was summoned by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares "to categorically reject the false and slanderous statements from the Israeli Prime Minister's office," according to a Spanish Foreign Ministry official.
The Foreign Ministry officer refused to be identified and was not permitted to talk in public.
It's the most recent step in a diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two nations that started when Spain's prime minister announced steps to put pressure on Israel to stop the conflict in Gaza on Monday.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a post on the social media site X on Thursday that Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, had issued a "blatant genocidal threat," referring to remarks the Spanish leader made when he revealed the actions the Spanish government was taking.
“Spain, as you know, doesn’t have nuclear bombs, nor aircraft carriers or large oil reserves. We alone can’t stop the Israeli offensive,”
Sánchez said in a televised address Monday.
The actions included preventing gasoline supply to Israel from going through Spanish ports and imposing an embargo on the sale of arms, ammunition, and military hardware to or from Israel.
Since then, two ministers from the opposing nations have been banned by Israel and Spain, respectively.
The government of Spain has been a vocal opponent of Israel's war in Gaza since it started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and took 251 hostages.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that Israel's attack has killed around 64,000 Palestinians, albeit it does not specify the number of combatants or civilians killed.
What consequences has Spain already imposed on Israel?
Spain officially imposed an outright embargo on making buying or selling weapons, ammunition, and military material to Israel. When this embargo had been in force since October 2023, it was only enforced as a practice. It is now implemented pursuant to a Royal Decree law which Parliament will have to ratify.
Spain has made it unlawful for any ships carrying fuel or military supplies for Israeli armed forces to dock at any Spanish port. Spain has prohibited its airspace for any flights carrying military materials for Israel.
Spain has prohibited entry into Spanish territory for any person involved with recruitment or direct involvement with genocide, human rights violations, or war crimes in Gaza. Spanish courts may find this may even bar senior leaders from Israel such as Prime Minister Netanyahu and others cabinet members.