Spain Has Hit Israel With A Full Arms Embargo, Banned Military Flights And Ships And Officials From Entering

Spain has announced a full arms embargo on Israel and banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons or fuel to Israel from passing through its ports and airspace, with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez calling Israel’s genocide in Gaza “the extermination of a defenseless people.”

Speaking on Monday, Sept. 8, Sánchez said the new sanctions would also block goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian land and ban people directly involved with Israel's genocide from entering Spain.

He added that Spain will increase its humanitarian aid to Gaza, pledging €150 million in 2026 and new funding for UNRWA.

Spain has not approved any new arms export licenses to Israel since October 2023 and recognized a Palestinian state along with Ireland and Norway in May 2024.

Sánchez, who had previously called Israel "a genocidal state" and demanded it be banned from Eurovision, told reporters in Madrid that the latest measures are a “moral obligation” and rejected Israel’s claim that it is acting in self-defense, saying its actions violate international law.

In response, Israel's Foreign Minister called Sánchez’s move "antisemitic" and accused him of using it to try to distract from corruption allegations.

Israel then imposed a travel ban on Spain’s deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz and youth minister Sira Rego, who are both outspoken critics of Israel’s genocide.

The Spanish foreign ministry condemned Israel's statement as "false and slanderous" and said its entry ban on the politicians was "unacceptable."

It said that it would not be “intimidated in its defence of peace, international law and human rights” and recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv hours after.

It added that the country's latest measures were in line with the public sentiment in Spain and pointed out that Spain had granted citizenship to 72,000 descendants of the Jews who were expelled from Spain in 1492.

Spain's government has said it will also continue pushing for the EU to respond as a bloc to the genocide in Gaza.

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