Spain's Ban Could Hinder Israel's Arms Imports – and Its Overall Foreign Trade s
Spain's announcement that it will ban from its waters and airspace ships and planes carrying weapons for Israel could foreshadow problems for Israel's wider foreign trade, sources in the sector say.
Spain's move this week, made in an attempt to help prevent the Israeli army from advancing on Gaza City, won't have any immediate effect on Israel's war effort. Ships and planes carrying arms imports and exports can stop elsewhere, and Spain hardly sells weapons to Israel.
Over the last two years, Spain has already blocked Israel-bound ships carrying weapons and ammunition from anchoring at its ports. For example, in May 2024 it stopped an Indian ship carrying explosives, while the following November it turned away two American vessels that were suspected of carrying arms. This week's announcement was the first sweeping prohibition.
Spain is vital because of its role in controlling the Strait of Gibraltar, which is used by Israeli shipping companies, mainly Zim, whose vessels anchor at the ports of Valencia, Barcelona and Algeciras.
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"Many Israeli ships go to Spain," a major Israeli importer says. "Zim works a lot with Spain; I receive Spanish goods all the time. A scenario where they check ships for arms could make things difficult for us."
According to Prof. Shaul Chorev, the head of the Institute for Maritime Policy and Strategy and a retired rear admiral, "This is an embargo only on arms, not the purchase of other goods. Basically, with ships carrying goods from the U.S. to Israel, even if they traditionally stop at Spanish ports, they don't have to. They can sail directly to Israel.
"The question is whether this arms embargo can extend to other goods and impact all imports to Israel. Another thing is that every port has a labor union, and sometimes they're more extreme than their governments when it comes to Israel."
Such power was felt this year in France. In April and July, workers at the port of Fos-Sur-Mer near Marseille delayed ships bound for Israel, objecting to the transfer of weapons that could be used in Gaza.
Workers in Belgium and Greece have conducted similar actions against Israel. Other countries imposing limits on arms shipments to Israel are the members of the Hague Group, which was formed by nine developing countries early this year.
In one of their efforts, the nine founding members – Belize, Bolivia, Colombia Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa – undertook to prevent ships carrying weapons to Israel from anchoring at their ports. Another country limiting the passage of arms to Israel through its waters and airspace is Turkey, which controls the Bosphorus Strait.
Hazardous materials
Spain's strategic location, however, has the most potential to make life difficult for Israel. The United Nations drew up the rules of passage through the Strait of Gibraltar in the 1980s. Spain and Morocco are responsible for enforcement, but they have no legal right to block the strait, which is considered international waters.
But, to give one example, ships carrying hazardous materials must report this cargo to the local sea-traffic agencies if they seek passage.
"These treaties are violated by everybody," says a person in the industry who worries that Spain might meticulously inspect ships heading to Israel with such materials.
Another problem is that Israel's southern port of Eilat has been out of service for two years after Yemen's Houthis closed the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Israeli ships. Thus, shipping companies carrying arms to Israel have an extra series of variables to consider.
For example, they must consider which route they will be allowed to take, which countries' port workers might not load cargo, and which ports might be blocked to them by the country's government.