Spain on Friday summoned Israel’s acting ambassador in Madrid after comments from the Israeli prime minister’s office accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of making a “blatant genocidal threat.”
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called in Dana Erlich, Israel’s charge d’affaires and the highest-ranking Israeli diplomat in Spain, to “categorically reject the false and slanderous statements from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office,” a Foreign Ministry official said. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and declined to be named.
The summons is the latest development in a growing diplomatic dispute that erupted after Sánchez announced measures on Monday intended to pressure Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza. Spain’s measures include an embargo on weapons, ammunition and military equipment sold to or from Israel and a decision to block Israel-bound fuel deliveries from transiting Spanish ports.
Netanyahu’s office, in a post Thursday on the social platform X, accused Sánchez of making a “blatant genocidal threat” in reference to comments the Spanish leader made while outlining the measures. In the televised address Sánchez said, “Spain, as you know, doesn’t have nuclear bombs, nor aircraft carriers or large oil reserves. We alone can’t stop the Israeli offensive.”
Tensions have since escalated into reciprocal diplomatic moves, with each country banning a pair of ministers from the other. Spain’s government has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s conduct in Gaza since the war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
That assault killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and led to the abduction of 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza has, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, killed more than 64,000 Palestinians; that ministry does not provide a breakdown of how many were civilians or combatants.
Spanish officials framed the summons as a necessary diplomatic response to what they characterized as inaccurate and defamatory language from Jerusalem. Israeli officials have defended the post from Netanyahu’s office as a reaction to Sánchez’s measures and public remarks.
The episode underscores widening strains between Israel and several European governments critical of its campaign in Gaza. Diplomats and analysts say the dispute could complicate broader bilateral relations, including trade and cooperation on security matters, although both countries have publicly maintained channels of communication as tensions persist.
Spain’s move on Monday to restrict arms and fuel transit was presented by Madrid as an effort to use nonmilitary levers of pressure to help bring about an end to the conflict. Israeli officials have condemned such steps as politically motivated and harmful to bilateral ties.
The Foreign Ministry official who described Albares’ call with Erlich declined to provide further details on whether additional diplomatic actions would follow. Both Madrid and Jerusalem are expected to continue exchanges through diplomatic channels as the dispute unfolds.