Israel bans Spanish ministers after Madrid imposes sanctions

Spain announces arms embargo on Israel and a partial trade ban, with plans to blacklist Israeli leaders – prompting Israeli foreign minister to ban two Spanish ministers.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel on Monday blacklisted two Spanish government ministers, banning them from entering the country after Madrid announced a new set of measures against the Jewish state.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in a televised address Monday morning that his left-wing government will impose a sweeping arms embargo on Israel, banning arms sales to and purchases from Israel.

Accusing Israel of “exterminating a defenseless people” and “killing innocent boys and girls with hunger,” Sánchez added that Spain will increase its funding for the Palestinian Authority.

The arms embargo not only prevents any government agency in Spain from buying military equipment or ammunition from Israel and prohibits Spanish companies from selling arms to Israel, but it will also prevent aircraft from abroad carrying arms to Israel from traveling through Spanish airspace and bar ships with arms shipments for Israel from docking at Spanish ports.

Furthermore, Sánchez said that his government will blacklist individual Israelis responsible for the acts of “genocide” that he claimed are occurring in the Gaza Strip.

Following reports of Madrid’s plans to impose an embargo on Israel and sanction Israeli ministers, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar released a statement just before Sánchez’s address.

Writing on his X account, Sa’ar excoriated the “corrupt” Spanish government, accusing Sánchez of targeting Israel in order to distract from a string of domestic political scandals.

“The government of Spain is leading a hostile, anti-Israeli line, with wild rhetoric dripping with hatred,” Sa’ar tweeted.

“The attempt by the corrupt Sánchez administration to divert attention from serious corruption scandals through continuous anti-Israeli and antisemitic attacks is transparent.”

Sa’ar also announced that in retaliation for Spain’s actions, Israel will bar two far-left Spanish ministers from entering the country.

Israel’s top diplomat cited comments by Labor Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz and Youth Minister Sira Rego to justify the blacklisting.

“Already in October 2023, days after the massacre, Díaz accused Israel of committing war crimes,” Sa’ar wrote. “In May 2024 — the day after Spain’s recognition of a ‘Palestinian state’ — she said this was ‘only the first step until Palestine is liberated from the river to the sea,’ a call that means the destruction of the State of Israel and which is banned in European countries such as Germany.”

Rego, Sa’ar continued, justified the Hamas invasion of Israel and massacre of Israelis on October 7, during the attacks.

“On October 7 (!) 2023, Rego published a post justifying the massacre.
In April 2025 she referred to Israel as ‘the genocidal state,’ opposed defense trade with it, and said that not even a single euro should reach Israel.”

Gideon SaarPedro SánchezSpain