Spain cancels arms deal with Israeli company worth billions
Madrid has been vocal about Israeli war crimes and was among several European nations to recognize Palestinian statehood this year
The Spanish government has canceled a contract to buy ammunition for its Civil Guard police force from an Israeli defense company, Madrid announced in a statement on 29 October.
“The Spanish government maintains the commitment not to sell weapons to the Israeli state since the armed conflict broke out in the territory of Gaza,” Spain’s Interior Ministry announced.
“Although in this case it is an acquisition of ammunition, the Interior Ministry has initiated the administrative procedure to cancel the purchase,” it added.
It also said Israeli firms will be excluded from any outstanding tenders.
The Cadena SER radio station reported earlier that Spain’s Civil Guard police force had agreed to a sale of over 15 million nine-millimeter rounds for $6.48 million from Guardian LTD Israel.
The announcement comes the week after the Spanish Defense Ministry told local media that it had halted the purchase of weapons from Israel. The European country had said it would stop arms sales to Israel after the start of the war on 7 October 2023.
This decision marks the first signal that the Spanish pledge will include purchases from Israel and not just sales.
Spain has been vocal about Israel’s genocide and continuous war crimes in the Gaza Strip, as well as in Lebanon.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged other members of the EU on 14 October to suspend the bloc’s free trade agreement with Israel.
“The European Commission must respond once and for all to the formal request made by two [Spain and Ireland] to suspend the association agreement with Israel if it is found, as everything suggests, that human rights are being violated,” Sanchez said.
Spain was among several countries, including Norway, Ireland, and Slovenia, that recognized Palestine as a state in late May.
In September, Madrid hosted a high-level gathering of Muslim and European states aimed at discussing ways to end Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip and formulate a timeline for the implementation of a two-state solution.
Spain was the first European state to back the case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).