Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar issued a sharp response to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s latest remarks and the announcement of an arms embargo against Israel, calling Spain’s policies “hostile and antisemitic,” and drawing a direct link between Sánchez’s statements and a deadly terror attack in Israel.
In an address on Monday, Sánchez accused Israel of committing atrocities in Gaza, claiming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was “exterminating a defenseless people” by targeting hospitals and “killing innocent boys and girls with hunger.” He argued that while Spain recognized Israel’s right to self-defense, it could not accept what he described as “a massacre.”
Sánchez announced new measures, including a formal prohibition on military sales to Israel, a ban on the use of Spanish ports and airspace for transporting weapons or fuel to the IDF, restrictions on entry to Spain for individuals “directly involved” in the conflict, and expanded humanitarian aid to Gaza. He said the steps aimed to “add to the pressure” on Israel and demonstrate that Spain was “on the right side of history.”
Foreign Minister Sa’ar rejected the accusations outright, stating:
“The Government of Spain is leading a hostile anti-Israeli line, with wild rhetoric dripping with hatred. The attempt by the corrupt Sánchez administration to divert attention from severe corruption scandals through a continuous anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attack is transparent.”
Sa’ar emphasized the timing of Sánchez’s words, noting that “at the very same time” the Spanish leader accused Israel of genocide, Palestinian terrorists carried out an attack that killed six Israelis. Among the victims was Yaakov Pinto, a new immigrant from Spain who had recently built his life in Israel. Sa’ar pointed to this as evidence of the consequences of legitimizing terror and fueling hostility against Israel, warning that Sánchez and his ministers “have long since chosen to stand with Hamas and against Israel.”
He accused Sánchez of being influenced by his coalition partners in the far-left Sumar party, highlighting statements by Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz and Minister of Youth and Children Sira Rego, who have repeatedly called for boycotts, sanctions, and the elimination of the State of Israel. Sa’ar announced that both Díaz and Rego will be banned from entering Israel and that the government will not maintain any contact with them.
He stressed that the Spanish government’s conduct fits the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which includes demonization, delegitimization, and double standards. Sa’ar said he will raise the matter before the IHRA plenary session and warned that further sanctions against Spanish officials could follow.
On social media, Sa’ar underscored the connection between Sánchez’s rhetoric and terror on the ground: “At the very same time that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro 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!”
Sa’ar concluded by stating that Israel will inform its allies of the “hostile conduct” of the Spanish government and expose what he described as the antisemitic and violent nature of its ministers’ statements.