<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MADRID: Spanish lawmakers on Wednesday approved the enshrinement in law of an arms embargo on Israel that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez introduced to end what he called &ldquo;the genocide in Gaza.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Parliament backed the decree by 178 votes to 169. It was announced in September by Sanchez, one of the most vocal critics among world leaders of Israel&rsquo;s devastating two-year-old war in the Palestinian territory.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The support of the far-left party Podemos, which has four MPs and had criticized the decree, helped swing the vote in the leftist minority coalition&rsquo;s favor after days of speculation about the lawmakers&rsquo; position.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The government said it had already banned buying weapons from or selling them to Israel since the start of the war, sparked by the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil on Oct. 7, 2023.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sanchez announced last month a decree to &ldquo;consolidate in law&rdquo; the embargo as part of a series of measures against Israel&rsquo;s offensive.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;Israel&rsquo;s response to the terrible attacks committed by terrorist group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, has ended up becoming an indiscriminate attack against the Palestinian population that the majority of experts have called genocide,&rdquo; reads the preamble of the law.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It bans all exports of defense equipment, products or technology to Israel and imports of such goods from the country.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The decree also outlaws the transit of aviation fuel with potential military use and bans the advertising of products &ldquo;coming from illegal colonies in Gaza and the West Bank.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The text allows the government to make exceptions for dual-use defense equipment &ldquo;if the application of the ban harmed general national interests.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">September&rsquo;s announcement triggered furious condemnation from Israel, which had already withdrawn its ambassador to Madrid in 2024 after Spain recognized a Palestinian state.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The vote was initially scheduled for Tuesday, but Spanish media said it was held a day later to avoid coinciding with the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attack.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Israel&rsquo;s embassy in Spain criticized the original plan, calling it &ldquo;a cynical and reprehensible decision&rdquo; in a letter released late Monday.

Reports said:  Spanish lawmakers debate and vote on a bill formalizing an arms embargo on Israel during a parliamentary session in Madrid, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Screengrab/Reuters)

Middle East

Europe

Spanish lawmakers on Wednesday approved the enshrinement in law of an arms embargo on Israel that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez introduced to end what he called “the genocide in Gaza.”

Spanish parliament approves Israel arms embargo

Reuters/AP

MADRID/ROME: Spain&#39;s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced on Wednesday that he will send a military warship to protect the Sumud flotilla to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off Greece.His announcement follows Italy&rsquo;s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto&#39;s statement, who told parliament that Rome would send its second navy ship to escort the aid flotilla, according to Reuters.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S&aacute;nchez said in New York, where he has been attending the UN General Assembly, that Spain would dispatch a naval vessel from Cartagena &ldquo;with all necessary resources in case it was necessary to assist the flotilla and carry out a rescue operation,&rdquo; Reuters reported.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 697px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970920065533898892&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=a8772acc9d5df009006a83b6df210ef92ba42eb9&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S&aacute;nchez stressed that &ldquo;international law must be respected&rdquo; and that Spanish citizens had the right to sail safely through the Mediterranean.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Italy&rsquo;s sending rescue reinforcements&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Italy&rsquo;s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Rome had activated the navy frigate&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fasan<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which was heading to the area from north of Crete &ldquo;for possible rescue operations.&rdquo;&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He added: &ldquo;In a democracy, demonstrations and forms of protest must also be protected when they are carried out in accordance with international law and without resorting to violence,&rdquo; AP reported.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Italy&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry meanwhile reported its computer systems were hit by a &ldquo;mail bombing&rdquo; campaign after the flotilla urged supporters to pressure Rome into condemning the attack, saying the flood of emails hindered its crisis unit&rsquo;s work. Italian officials said 58 citizens, including lawmakers, were aboard the flotilla, AP reported.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The European Commission said freedom of navigation under international law &ldquo;must be upheld,&rdquo; while the UN Human Rights Office called for an investigation.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thunberg on the move&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Global Sumud Flotilla, involving about 50 civilian boats carrying lawyers, activists, and aid &mdash; including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg &mdash; is seeking to break Israel&rsquo;s naval blockade of Gaza.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A spokesperson for March to Gaza Greece told Reuters the vessels were attacked by 12 drones in international waters 30 nautical miles (56 km) off the Greek island of Gavdos.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thunberg told Reuters earlier that drones had flown over them nightly: &ldquo;This mission is about Gaza, it isn&rsquo;t about us. And no risks that we could take could even come close to the risks the Palestinians are facing every day.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attacks on Flotilla&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The flotilla has reported several attacks since it set sail from Spain on Sept. 1, including two while some of its boats were in Tunisian waters.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Activists have launched several flotillas aimed at breaking the blockade over the years, nearly all of them intercepted by Israel. Another vessel said it was attacked by drones in May in international waters off Malta. An overland convoy traveling across North Africa also attempted to reach the border but was blocked by security forces aligned with Egypt in eastern Libya.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, a boat participating in an aid flotilla attempting to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza, killing 10 Turkish activists in clashes on board.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Israel has criticized the flotilla as tacitly supportive of Hamas but did not comment on the drone attack on Tuesday as reported by Reuters.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since the war in Gaza began, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities, with famine, mass displacement, and destruction continuing.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrives for a press conference in New York

Spain and Italy will each deploy naval vessels to assist an international flotilla delivering aid to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off Greece.

Spain to send warship to protect Gaza aid flotilla

MADRID: The Spanish government approved Tuesday a &quot;total&quot; arms embargo on Israel, part of a package of measures aimed at halting what Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called &quot;the genocide in Gaza&quot;. The decree prohibits all exports to Israel of defence material and dual-use products or technologies, and the import of such equipment to Spain, Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said at a news conference. It also blocks requests for the transit of aircraft fuel with potential military applications and bans imports of products originating from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, including their advertising, Cuerpo said. &quot;This decree is a big step forward and is pioneering at the international level when it comes to a total arms embargo on Israel,&quot; Cuerpo told a news conference after the cabinet approved the measure. The government says the decree &quot;consolidates in law&quot; a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel that it had applied since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The decree will come into force immediately, but it must still be approved at a later date by parliament, where Sanchez&#39;s left-wing government lacks a majority and has struggled to pass legislation. Sanchez announced the arms embargo this month as part of a package of nine measures aimed at stopping what he called &quot;the genocide in Gaza&quot;. He has been one of the most vocal critics in Europe of the offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas. &quot;I do believe that we are witnessing one of the darkest and most terrible events of the 21st century unfold right before our eyes,&quot; he said Monday at an event at Columbia University in New York, as the UN General Assembly kicked off. &quot;And simply, the international community cannot remain silent and paralysed,&quot; he said.

Spain has approved a total arms embargo on Israel, banning defense exports, imports, and settlement goods. The move, announced by PM Pedro Sanchez, is part of measures condemning Israel’s Gaza offensive and urging international action.

Spain approves 'total' arms embargo against Israel

MADRID: Spain joined Tuesday the group of countries threatening not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is excluded from the competition over the war in the Gaza Strip.&nbsp;The Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia had already taken the same stance. Spain&#39;s addition to the list puts more pressure on both Israel and the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the popular contest.&nbsp;Spanish public broadcaster RTVE made the decision at a board meeting in Madrid.&nbsp;The announcement comes as diplomatic ties between Spain and Israel frayed after large protests against the presence of a Israeli-owned cycling team disrupted the Spanish Vuelta race. Spain&#39;s prime minister said Monday that he would like Israel to be banned from sporting events.&nbsp;The European Broadcasting Union said last week that it was consulting its members on how to &ldquo;manage participation and geopolitical tensions&rdquo; around the song contest and would give them until mid-December to decide if they want to participate.&nbsp;Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Israel has continued to compete the past two years despite disputes over its participation.&nbsp;Eurovision&rsquo;s finale is scheduled to be held in Vienna in May.

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Madrid joins growing Eurovision boycott threat, urging Israel’s exclusion over Gaza war, following similar moves by Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia.

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Spanish parliament approves Israel arms embargo

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Spain to send warship to protect Gaza aid flotilla