{"id":404627,"date":"2025-09-07T06:56:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T06:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/404627\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T06:56:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T06:56:15","slug":"spain-plans-total-arms-embargo-on-israel-may-brand-netanyahu-persona-non-grata","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/404627\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain plans total arms embargo on Israel, may brand Netanyahu persona non grata"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spain plans to approve a complete and immediate arms embargo on Israel on Tuesday and may even declare Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers personae non grata, Spanish news outlet El Pa\u00eds<\/a> reported on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The government in Madrid, which has escalated its anti-Israel rhetoric amid the war against Hamas in Gaza, is working to impose a sweeping ban on all direct and indirect deals on weapons or military technologies with any Israeli public or private body, the Spanish report said, citing unnamed sources.<\/p>\n

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez\u2019s government pledged to stop selling arms to Israel shortly after Hamas\u2019s onslaught on October 7, 2023. Last year, the Spanish government widened that commitment to include weapons purchases from Israel<\/a>. In recent months, it canceled several high-profile deals with Israeli companies.<\/p>\n

The El Pa\u00eds report said the intention is for the more complete embargo to take immediate effect this coming week by making it part of a royal decree, with the text building on the content of a law bill presented last year by the left-wing Sumar political alliance, which is part of the ruling coalition and has demanded stronger moves against Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Sumar founder Yolanda D\u00edaz reportedly declared that her alliance is working with the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers\u2019 Party on a package of steps aimed at \u201csevering relations with the criminal Netanyahu regime,\u201d halting all trade relations altogether, and declaring the premier \u2014 as well as Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir \u2014 personae non grata in Spain \u201cfor their incitement to genocide, forced starvation and ethnic cleansing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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She also pushed for Spanish ports to be off-limits to vessels transporting arms to Israel.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend vote at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

Spain is a long-time critic of Israel\u2019s policies toward Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Speaking in the Spanish parliament last month, Sanchez\u00a0called\u00a0Israel a \u201cgenocidal state.\u201d<\/p>\n

His foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, told reporters last month that Spain would request the\u00a0\u201cimmediate suspension\u201d\u00a0of the European Union\u2019s cooperation<\/a> deal with Israel, and would urge partners to impose an arms embargo.<\/p>\n

Spain had already outraged Jerusalem by recognizing Palestinian statehood<\/a> in May 2024, in a\u00a0joint move\u00a0with Ireland and Norway.<\/p>\n

Israeli cycling team erases name from kit at Spanish race<\/p>\n

With those high tensions in mind, cycling team Israel-Premier Tech removed its name from its kit at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a race following pro-Palestine, anti-Israel protests<\/a> aimed at it during the event\u2019s first two weeks.<\/p>\n

The three-week grand tour has been rocked by protests, with organizers pressuring Israel-Premier Tech to pull out for safety reasons, which they refused to do.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Team Israel Premier Tech\u2019s riders compete during the fifth stage of La Vuelta a Espana cycling tour, a 24.1 km time-trial team race in Figueres, on August 27, 2025. (Josep LAGO \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Instead, the team, owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, modified its kit to retain only the team\u2019s logo.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the interest of prioritizing the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at the Vuelta, Israel\u2013Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,\u201d the team said on social media network X on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team name remains Israel\u2013Premier Tech, but the monogram kit now aligns with the branding decisions we have previously adopted for our vehicles and casual clothing.\u201d<\/p>\n


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