Spain announces arms embargo on Israel and eight other measures to counter the 'genocide' in Gaza

Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, appeared at the Moncloa Palace - the seat of central government - early yesterday morning to announce a raft of measures to confront what he bluntly described as "genocide" against the Palestinian people. These measures include the approval, this Tuesday, of a royal decree law to "legally consolidate" the arms embargo on Israel and the ban on access to Spanish territory for all those directly involved in human rights violations or war crimes against the people of Gaza.

Sánchez began his speech by recognising Israel's right to a state of its own, in which it can feel secure and, once again, he condemned the terrorist attacks and kidnappings carried out by Hamas. However, he then stressed that the response of Benjamin Netanhayu's government to the offensive of 7 October 2023 has turned into "an unjustifiable attack against the Palestinian civilian population" that has already resulted in the deaths of 63,000 civilians, 159,000 injured and wounded, 250,000 people at risk of acute malnutrition and almost two million people displaced from their homes, half of them children. "This is not self-defence, it's not even attacking, it's exterminating a defenceless people", he stated.

The Spanish PM has emerged as one of the international leaders who has most actively condemned the actions of Netanyahu's government, but the international community is deeply divided on this issue. Even the EU, which receives 32% of Israeli exports according to 2024 data, is no exception. Despite pressure from Spain and some other countries, the EU has yet to adopt any sanctions whatsoever against Israel. Sánchez acknowledged that the steps announced yesterday will not, on their own, serve to "stop the invasion or the war crimes", but he expressed his hope that at least they will stir the conscience of some, send a message of empathy to the Palestinian people and serve to ensure that Spanish society "knows and feels that, in the face of one of the most infamous episodes of the 21st century, their country, Spain, was on the right side of history", he said.

Along with the royal decree law that will establish a legal and permanent ban on "buying and selling weapons, ammunition and military equipment" from and to Israel, Sánchez announced that all ships carrying fuel destined for the Israeli armed forces will be banned from transiting through Spanish ports. He also said that all state aircraft transporting defence material destined for Israel will also be denied entry into Spanish airspace.

Spain will also ban the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza into the West Bank "with the aim of combating these occupations, halting the forced displacement of the Palestinian population" and keeping the two-state solution alive. With the same objective, consular services provided to Spanish citizens residing in illegal Israeli settlements will be limited to the "minimum legally required assistance".

Sánchez also pointed to strengthening support for the Palestinian National Authority through an increase in personnel for the European Union's border assistance mission at the Rafah crossing point and new collaborative projects in the areas of agriculture, food security and medical assistance. Spain will also increase its contribution to UNRWA, the United Nations agency responsible for assisting the people of Gaza, by an additional 10 million euros. Finally, the Prime Minister said Spain will increase the budget allocation of humanitarian aid and cooperation for Gaza to reach 150 million euros by 2026.