Spain Sanctions And Bars Entry To Two Israeli Far-Right Ministers

Spain announced on Tuesday it would bar two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country, part of broader measures condemning what it described as Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's National Security Minister, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will face sanctions and be prohibited from entering Spanish territory, Madrid's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said at a press conference.

The move came a day after Spain recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv in the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries. The diplomatic row intensified after Israel denied entry to two Spanish government ministers and accused Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, of antisemitism.

Sánchez, a socialist, said his government would approve a decree to "consolidate in law" a ban on the sale or purchase of military equipment with Israel-a policy Spain has effectively enforced since the start of Israel's nearly two-year war on Gaza in October 2023.

Boats carrying fuel destined for the Israeli military will be barred from Spanish ports, and Spain will act to reduce the transport of military equipment to Israel by air, Sánchez said in a televised address.

"All those people participating directly in the genocide, the violation of human rights, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip" will be banned from entering Spanish territory, he added.

Spain will also ban the importation of products from "illegal settlements" in the occupied Palestinian territories with the aim of stopping "the forced displacement of the Palestinian population" and keeping alive the two-state solution, Sánchez continued.

Consular services for Spanish citizens residing in those settlements will be limited "to the legally obligatory minimum assistance," he said.

Sánchez, one of Israel's most outspoken critics, is the most senior European leader to describe Israel's war on Gaza as a genocide.

Last year, his government broke with many European allies by formally recognizing a Palestinian state, a move that infuriated Israel.

Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 64,522 Palestinians and injured more than 160,000, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Since 2 March, Israel has imposed a deadly blockade on Gaza, triggering famine across the territory and allowing only a trickle of aid through US- and Israeli-controlled distribution points, where Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinians.

The vast majority of the Gaza Strip has been flattened, with around 90 percent of its 2.3 million Palestinians forcibly displaced, many repeatedly.

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