Spain is cancelling a €6.5 million contract with an Israeli military company to buy ammunition for the country’s militarised police, the Interior Ministry said after the case was revealed in the media.
Sources in the ministry, led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska (PSOE/S&D), said on Tuesday that other Israeli arms companies would also be excluded from future contracts with Madrid as long as the conflict in Gaza continues.
“The Spanish government maintains its commitment not to sell or buy arms to the Israeli state since the outbreak of the armed conflict in the territory of Gaza,” a statement issued by the Interior Ministry reads.
The Interior Ministry’s reaction comes after partners of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) asked the progressive executive to shed light on a contract to purchase ammunition for the Guardia Civil after the case was revealed by Cadena SER.
The controversial contract was awarded on 21 October by Madrid to Guardian Homeland Security SA for more than 15 million 9 x 19-millimetre Parabellum-NATO bullets.
As soon as the executive became aware of the award to the Israeli company, a process was quickly initiated to “terminate the contract with this company”, government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría stressed on Tuesday.
“The Spanish government’s commitment not to buy or sell arms to Israel remains intact,” said Alegría, as reported by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.
Both the left-wing Sumar platform, a junior partner in Sánchez’s government, and its former ally Podemos, as well as other far-left parties, including Izquierda Unida, have urged the government to suspend arms sales to Israel, and some want Madrid to break diplomatic and trade relations with Tel Aviv.
Last weekend, Podemos militants voted internally to stop supporting Sánchez unless Madrid cuts ties with Israel.
Both Sumar and Podemos, as well as other parties in the radical left camp, have described Israel’s military response in Gaza following the Hamas terrorist attacks of 7 October as ‘genocide’, which has contributed to a serious deterioration in diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel.
“In its criminal drift, Israel has gone so far as to shoot at UN peacekeeping troops where there are Spanish soldiers W ile genoci e is being committed, Spain and the ‘European garden’ do nothing: no arms embargo, no severing of relations”, Podemos wrote on X on Tuesday.
Relations with Israel were further strained last May when Spain, Ireland and Norway recognised the Palestinian state at Madrid’s initiative.
(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)