PNN – Tensions between Tel Aviv and Madrid have flared up once again; the Zionist regime summoned the Spanish ambassador to the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand in response to remarks by a Spanish minister regarding the country’s support for a “Palestine free from the river to the sea.”
According to the report of Pakistan News Network citing the Zionist newspaper Israel Hayom, Francisca Pedrós—the Chargé d’Affaires of the Spanish embassy in the occupied territories—was summoned to the regime’s Foreign Ministry to register a protest, acting on the orders of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
This move follows statements made by Sira Rego, Spain’s Minister of Youth and Children, who declared at a meeting in Madrid that Spanish society’s stance in support of a “Palestine free from the river to the sea” is clear.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry described these remarks as a “systematic anti-Israel policy” on the part of the Spanish government, alleging that Madrid is participating in a campaign against Israel’s existence.
The ministry’s statement also criticized the policies of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, noting that Madrid has turned Israel into a “punching bag” for its foreign policy.
The Spanish Chargé d’Affaires was summoned against a backdrop of severely strained relations between Madrid and Tel Aviv, driven by the onset of the genocide in Gaza and the Zionist regime’s expansionist policies in the West Bank.
Spain is among the European nations that have adopted a firm stance against the expansion of settlements and settler violence. In recent official statements, Madrid has condemned settlement expansion and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, while also supporting trade measures targeting goods produced in the settlements.
Spain also recently condemned the Zionist regime’s decision to advance the E1 settlement project, warning that the plan undermines Palestinian territorial contiguity.
The Spanish Foreign Minister had also previously called for a complete ban on trade in goods produced in Zionist settlements in the occupied territories, stating that Spain had long since banned the import of these products at the national level.