The Spanish Foreign Ministry has announced plans to summon the Israeli chargé d’affaires today to express its concerns regarding remarks made by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
On Monday, Sa’ar referred to Sánchez on social media as “anti-Semitic and a liar” following the Spanish Prime Minister’s support for large pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid, which resulted in the cancellation of the final stage of a bicycle race.
In a related development, the Spanish government has canceled a contract valued at around €700 million for the purchase of Israeli-designed rocket launchers. This decision follows the recent confirmation of a ban on arms contracts with Israel, part of ongoing efforts to increase pressure on Israel due to its actions in Gaza.
According to reports from Agence France-Presse, the canceled contract was awarded to a consortium of Spanish companies for the acquisition of 12 units of the Highly Mobile Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), developed from the “PULS” system by Israel’s Elbit Systems.
Following coverage by local media and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz regarding the cancellation, it was officially announced on the Spanish public contracting platform in a document dated September 9.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had previously unveiled new measures aimed at “ending the genocide in Gaza,” which included a “legal enhancement” for the existing ban on arms contracts with Israel, that the country had been adhering to in practice.