The government of Spain has decided to ban port entry for any Israel-bound ships carrying fuel or weapons – the latest step in a campaign to distance Spanish policymakers from the Israeli operation in Gaza.
Over the course of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the devastating October 7 terrorist attacks, Spanish public opinion of Israel has soured, pulled down by disapproval of Netanyahu’s military methods. As of June, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 75 percent of Spaniards held a negative view of Israel as a nation.
Backed by popular sentiment, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has become one of the Netanyahu administration’s biggest critics in Europe. On Monday, Sanchez announced a permanent arms embargo on Israel, citing civilian casualties in Gaza. The measure would formalize a de facto embargo that has been in place since the beginning of the conflict.
In addition, the shipping embargo will be extended to laden tankers bound for Israel. This will mean that U.S.-flagged product tankers that carry jet fuel and diesel to Israel – part of the American military assistance program – will have to call in other ports for bunkering and provisions.
Sanchez also pledged more aid to Palestinian refugees, along with an embargo on trade goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. All of the new restrictions still have to be approved by the cabinet.
“We hope that [these measures] will serve to add pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government to alleviate some of the suffering that the Palestinian population is enduring,” Sanchez said in a speech.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded, declaring Sanchez’s critique of the Netanyahu administration to be “antisemitic,” and banned Spanish Youth Minister Sira Rego and Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz from entering Israel.
Spain then responded by recalling its ambassador to Israel, prompting further objections from Sa’ar.