Israel, Spain in row over Gaza sanctions

Israel on Monday accused the Spanish government of being "anti-Semitic" and barred two Spanish ministers from entering the country after Madrid announced earlier in the day nine sanctions to pressure Israel to halt its nearly two-year offensive in Gaza.

The sanctions announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, aimed to "stop the genocide in Gaza, pursue its perpetrators and support the Palestinian population," included barring ships and aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from Spanish ports and airspace, prohibiting the import of products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and denying entry of individuals "participating directly in the genocide, the violation of human rights and war crimes in the Gaza Strip" into Spain, among others.

Sanchez also vowed to increase aid to the Palestinian Authority and to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar told a news conference in Budapest alongside his Hungarian counterpart that the Spanish measures are "anti-Semitic," and that "the land of Israel" does not need Spain's protection.

Sa'ar said that Spanish Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Yolanda Diaz and Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego will be barred from entering Israel, and that Israel will end all official contacts with the two ministers.

Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza, launched after a deadly Hamas-led attack in October 2023, has devastated the enclave of 2.2 million people, causing famine and killing at least 64,522 people, according to Gaza-based health authorities.