The Spanish government has imposed a “total” arms embargo on Israel as part of a broader package of measures to stop the regime’s genocidal war in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Spain’s Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved a "total" arms embargo on Israel, escalating pressure on the Tel Aviv regime over the killing of Palestinians in Gaza.
At a news conference, Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said the decision was “further evidence of the political commitment of the government and the international leadership of Spain and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for respect for human rights."
The minister further stated the decree prohibits all exports of defense material and dual-use products or technologies to Israel and the import of such equipment to Spain.
The official decree, which will come into force immediately, also blocks requests for the transit of aircraft fuel with potential military applications and bans imports of products originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including their advertising.
Government's left-wing coalition partner Sumar, in a statement, hailed the Spanish government for taking punitive measures against Israel and expected the other EU member states to follow suit.
However, the left-wing Podemos party leader, Ione Belarra, criticized the timing, saying the move came too late.
“Arms embargoes are implemented before war crimes are committed, not with 60,000 innocent victims,” she said.
Government spokesperson and Education Minister Pilar Alegria reiterated Spain’s stance on recognizing Palestine, recalling Sanchez’s remarks at the UN.
“As the prime minister underlined at the UN, recognizing the state of Palestine is urgent. Spain did so in May, and now we see many countries such as France, Portugal, Canada, the UK, and Australia following suit. Spain has played a key role from the start in supporting coexistence through a two-state solution,” Alegria stated.
Relations between Spain and the Israel are tense, as Madrid has emerged as one of the strongest critics of the regime's genocide in Gaza.
The Spanish PM recently declared a series of measures that he said were aimed at preventing Israel's genocide in Gaza.
The measures included an entry ban on “all those people participating directly in the genocide, in the violation of human rights and war crimes in the Gaza Strip.”
Sanchez has condemned Europe’s double standards regarding Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war, calling the international response to the genocide “a failure.”
He described the reaction to Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza as “one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century.”
Spain’s stance marks a broader foreign policy shift in recent years, deepening after Israel's genocidal campaign in Gaza began on October 7, 2023.
Since November 2023, Spain has suspended arms export licenses to Israel, citing concerns that such sales could contribute to violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Spain has also pressed the European Union (EU) to reconsider the EU-Israel Association Agreement, arguing that Israel’s actions in Gaza breach the accord’s human rights clause.
Source:Websites
