Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in a forceful and sweeping declaration on September 8, announced a full military and humanitarian package aimed at mounting pressure on Israel amid what he described as its “genocidal” conduct. He unveiled a complete arms embargo both formal and broad in scope by prohibiting any ships or aircraft transporting weapons to Israel from entering Spanish ports or airspace, and putting into law the ban on the sale or purchase of military equipment with Israeli entities.
Sánchez condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as a disproportionate assault, accusing its government of “exterminating a defenseless people,” singling out bombings of hospitals and deliberate starvation of civilians as unconscionable violations of humanitarian law. In addition to the arms embargo, he ordered an embargo on goods produced in Israeli settlements, increased humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA, and barred entry to individuals he said were implicated in what he termed “genocide”.
These measures build on prior actions taken by Spain—such as cancelling a €285 million anti-tank missile contract with a Spanish subsidiary of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems earlier in June 2025 —and meeting growing domestic pressure for a more resolute stance. Indeed, more than a thousand Spanish cultural figures, including prominent actors and filmmakers, recently called on Sánchez to enact a Real Decree Law to implement the arms embargo immediately, criticizing the current pace of action as too slow and insufficient.
The diplomatic fallout was swift. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Sánchez of antisemitism and diverting attention from domestic scandals. In reprisal, Israel banned two Spanish ministers—Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz and Youth Minister Sira Rego, from entering the country. Nevertheless, the Spanish government defended its measures as firmly rooted in international law and human rights, asserting that Spain was deliberately placing itself “on the right side of history”.
