Madrid pulls ambassador from Tel Aviv after Jerusalem bans two ministers over antisemitic, pro-violence statements.

By Joshua Marks, JNS

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Monday recalled Spain’s ambassador to Israel, Ana María Salomón, for consultations over the Jewish state’s announcement of sanctions against two Spanish Cabinet members in connection with Madrid’s hostility toward Israel.

Albares acted “in response to the slanderous accusations against Spain and the unacceptable measures against two members of our government,” El País quoted a Spanish Foreign Ministry official as saying.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced sanctions against the two Spanish ministers, accusing the socialist government in Madrid of “pursuing a hostile, anti-Israel line, marked by wild, hate-filled rhetoric.”

Jerusalem will ban Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz and Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego from entry and end all official contacts with them, citing violent and antisemitic statements they made following the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

Examples cited by Sa’ar in a lengthy Hebrew statement on X include the two politicians falsely labeling Israel “genocidal” and calling for boycotts, sanctions and ending diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, among other hostile actions.

Soon after the Oct. 7 attack, Díaz accused Israel of committing war crimes, and a day after Spain recognized “Palestine,” declared that it was “just the first step until Palestine is liberated from the river to the sea”—a phrase Sa’ar noted is a call for the eradication of Israel and one that is banned in Germany and other European countries.

Rego on Oct. 7 posted content justifying the massacre, and last week, she voiced support for violent anti-Israel disruptions during the Vuelta a España grand tour cycling competition targeting the Israel-Premier Tech team.

“Her statements show clear support for terrorism and violence against Israelis,” Sa’ar wrote. “Therefore, the entry of the aforementioned ministers to Israel is forbidden, and Israel will not maintain any contact with them.”

Díaz leads and Rego is a member of the far-left Sumar political alliance.

Sa’ar accused Díaz of exploiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s “political weakness to drag him, step by step, into the implementation of her anti-Israel and antisemitic agenda.”

Jerusalem’s top diplomat asserted that attacking Israel serves as a distraction for Sánchez’s scandal-plagued administration and his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, of which he serves as secretary-general. Recent reports include allegations of sexual harassment, kickbacks, bid-rigging and undue influence in public contracts.

“The attempt by Sánchez’s corrupt administration to distract from severe corruption scandals through a continual anti-Israel and antisemitic campaign is transparent,” Sa’ar wrote, also pointing out the hypocrisy of the “obsessive activism” against Israel, given Madrid’s ties with “dark authoritarian regimes” such as Iran and Venezuela.

Furthermore, Jerusalem will notify its allies of Madrid’s “hostile conduct and the antisemitic and violent nature of its ministers’ statements,” Sa’ar continued. “It is important that Israel’s friends around the world recognize the dangerous character of Spain’s current government.”

Sa’ar said he had acted in accordance with acting Interior Minister Yariv Levin and with the agreement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the decision to sanction the two Spanish ministers, adding that further decisions if needed will be made in consultation with the premier.

The Israeli actions came on the same day that Sánchez presented nine harsh measures against Israel to “prevent genocide in Gaza,” a charge that Jerusalem and Washington vehemently deny.

At the same time, Sa’ar underscored the timing of Sánchez’s remarks on social media, posting on X: “At the very same time that Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez attacked Israel, Palestinian terrorists attacked and murdered six Israelis, among them Yaakov Pinto, a new immigrant from Spain. Sánchez and his twisted ministers who justified the October 7 massacre, have long since chosen to stand with Hamas and against Israel. Disgraceful!”

The Spanish prime minister announced that the country will approve a royal decree in law to establish a comprehensive arms embargo against Israel, banning all military trade and technology exports.

Moreover, Madrid will ban transit of fuel tankers to Israel intended for military purposes and security forces; restrict flights through its airspace of planes carrying military equipment, including defensive equipment; boycott products from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria; increase support for the Palestinian Authority; expand its financial contribution to UNRWA; and increase aid to Gaza.

One of the measures that could impact a wide swath of Israeli society states “entry to Spain is prohibited for anyone directly involved in genocide, human rights violations, or war crimes in Gaza.” According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, this could mean denying entry to Israeli soldiers and officers as well as ministers and other public officials.

Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Saturday that the ruling coalition is also planning to declare Netanyahu and other Israeli ministers persona non grata and prevent their entry to the country.

Israel will establish a new body to address arms embargo threats from hostile countries such as Spain, which have increased significantly during the nearly two-year war against Hamas in Gaza, Channel 12 reported on Saturday.

Sa’ar on Monday put into broader historical context the Spanish government hostility to the Jewish state, citing examples of the Iberian nation’s shameful history against its Jews, including expulsions and forced conversions.

“Also notable is the lack of historical awareness regarding Spain’s crimes against the Jewish people, including the Inquisition, forced conversions, and the expulsion of Jews—a total ethnic cleansing of Spain in the late 15th century,” wrote Sa’ar.

“As is well known, Spain was the last Western European country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. The current Spanish government is purposely and shamelessly undermining these relations, which were painstakingly built over decades by both socialist and conservative governments.”