Spain vows to stop buying Israeli systems despite new deal

Spain’s government has said that it is continuing to work towards “zero technological dependence” on Israel despite currently considering the purchase of an alternative European defence system partly owned by Tel Aviv.

The centre-left government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last year cancelled a defence contract with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems worth 287.5 million euros (£251 million) for the purchase of 1,680 Spike LR2 missiles.

The decision came part of the Sanchez government’s attempts to impose an embargo on Israel to pressure Tel Aviv to halt its attacks on Gaza, with Madrid joining a growing consensus that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinians.

Spain’s Secretary of State for Defense, Amparo Valcarce, emphasised that the government’s strategic objective remains the same, “to achieve 0% technological dependence by systematically and progressively replacing any component, system, or technology that may exist in certain very restricted areas”.

Instead, Madrid has announced it was considering a large purchase of the alternative Multipurpose European Guided Missile (MELLS) System from EuroSpike, a company owned by the German firms Rheinmetall and Diehl.

Critics, however, have accused Madrid of maintaining a connection with Israel by purchasing the same product through intermediaries, pointing to the fact that Rafael maintains a 20% ownership of EuroSpike.

On Thursday, Valcarce denied to the Spanish parliament that the government had backtracked on its pledge to distance itself completely from Israel, arguing that the current components of MELLS are not of Israeli origin and would guarantee “strategic autonomy”.

Valcarce emphasised that Madrid’s decision stems from the technical needs of the country’s defence sector, namely that the Spike system is fully integrated into Spanish defence units across its army and navy. A change in model, she argued, would entail considerable training and logistical costs.

Madrid said it was considering switching to the alternative SILAM (Multiple Rocket Launcher System) by the joint Rheinmetall-Escribano venture to replace previous prototypes produced by the Israeli company Elbit.

Meanwhile, Spain’s opposition centre-right People’s Party (PP), which has taken a somewhat pro-Israel position, has accused the Secretary of State for Defence of jeopardising the country’s security and acting for “ideological reasons” to guarantee the “governability” of the left-wing coalition.

PP Senator Jose Antonio Monago further accused Alcarce of ‘antisemitism’ during a session of the Joint Congress-Senate National Security Committee.

The accusations were rejected by Alcarce, calling it “irresponsible” to conflate Madrid’s policy bypassing Israel with “antisemitism” 

The Madrid government led by President Pedro Sanchez has taken a pro-Palestinian stance since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023, recognising a Palestinian state in May 2024.