Spanish PM Calls Israel ‘Genocidal State’, Ambassador Summoned for Reprimand
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called Israel a “genocidal state” during his speech in the Spanish parliament on Wednesday, stating that Madrid “does not do business” with such a country, Spanish media reported.
The PM’s remarks came as a response to a provocative comment from an anti-Israel member of parliament who condemned Spain’s trade relations with what he called the “genocide state” of Israel.
Sanchez’s comments sparked anger in Israel, prompting Israel’s Foreign Ministry to summon the Spanish Ambassador, Ana Salomon, for a formal reprimand scheduled for Thursday in Jerusalem.
“Following the severe remarks made by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish ambassador to Israel has been summoned for a reprimand meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem tomorrow,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In April 2025, the Spanish government unilaterally scrapped a contract with an Israeli firm to purchase ammunition rounds for its police force after wide internal pressure, according to Reuters.
In October 2023, Spain decided to stop selling any weapons to the Israeli occupation because of its bloody war in Gaza.
Moreover, the government pledged to stop purchasing any ammunition from Israel in 2024 due to its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Since the beginning of Hamas-Israel War in Gaza in 2023, the Israeli strikes have killed at least 53,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 118,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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