Spain accuses Netanyahu of slandering PM, summons Israeli ambassador for reprimand

Diplomatic row between Israel and Spain deepens as Madrid blasts Netanyahu for calling Spanish PM’s nuclear comments regarding Gaza war a “blatant genocidal threat.”

By World Israel News Staff

The Spanish government summoned the acting Israeli ambassador to Madrid for a formal dressing down on Friday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused his Spanish counterpart of making genocidal threats against Israelis.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called in Dana Erlich, the head of the Israeli mission to Spain, for a diplomatic reprimand after accusing Netanyahu of slandering Spain’s premier, Pedro Sanchez.

Formerly Israel’s Ambassador to Ireland, Erlich is currently Israel’s most senior diplomat serving in Spain. The previous Israeli ambassador, Rodica Radian-Gordon, was recalled in November 2023 over Spain’s response to the October 7 attacks and Israel’s subsequent war on Hamas.

The latest dustup, part of an ongoing souring of relations between the two countries, centers around Sanchez’s comments last week defending a string of sanctions against Israel.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, during which he unveiled an arms embargo on Israel and other sanctions targeting the Jewish state, Sanchez lamented that Spain could not do more to confront Israel over its war in the Gaza Strip, hinting that he would use military force – including nuclear weapons – were his country better equipped.

Spain, said Sanchez, is doing what it can to “stop the genocide in Gaza, pursue its perpetrators, and support the Palestinian population.”

However, he added, “Spain, as you know, doesn’t have nuclear bombs, nor aircraft carriers, nor large oil reserves.”

“We alone can’t stop the Israeli offensive. But that doesn’t mean we won’t stop trying, because there are causes that are worth fighting for, even if winning them isn’t in our sole power,” he said.

The comments, made on Monday, were not widely publicized outside of Spain until Wednesday.

On Thursday, Netanyahu excoriated Sanchez, accusing him of threatening Israelis with nuclear annihilation.

“Spanish PM Sanchez said yesterday that Spain can’t stop Israel’s battle against Hamas terrorists because ‘Spain does not have nuclear weapons’. That’s a blatant genocidal threat on the world’s only Jewish state,” he said.

Later on Thursday, Spain’s foreign ministry rejected allegations of antisemitism and described Netanyahu’s claims as “false and slanderous.”

A day later, Foreign Minister Albares called Erlich for a dressing down.

That same day, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles accused Netanyahu of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

“I don’t think Netanyahu is exactly the person entitled to lecture anyone while committing the atrocities he is committing in Gaza,” Robles told Antena 3.