The foreign minister also alleged that Sánchez had moved to mobilize demonstrators a few days after the Spanish leader “lamented not having an atomic bomb to ‘stop Israel.’”
Sa’ar was apparently referring to a speech on Sept. 8 in which Sánchez emphasized Spain’s small stature on the global stage. Madrid does not “have nuclear bombs, nor does it have aircraft carriers or large oil reserves,” the prime minister said at the time, adding that his country therefore “cannot stop the Israeli offensive.”
The statement was part of Sánchez’s wider plea for the international community to work together to stop the deaths of civilians in Gaza.
Tensions between Israel and Spain have been on the rise since 2023, when Sánchez became one of the EU’s most vocal critics of Israel’s military operations in Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Madrid recognized Palestinian statehood last year, and earlier this week imposed tough new measures on Israel — among them a permanent weapons embargo.
Following that announcement, Sa’ar accused the Spanish government of being “antisemitic” and using a “hostile anti-Israeli line” to “distract attention from serious corruption scandals.” He also banned two members of Sánchez’s cabinet from entering Israel, citing their alleged “support for terrorism and violence against Israelis.”
Protest action
Protestors have repeatedly disrupted this year’s Vuelta a España by blocking the race route while carrying Palestinian flags and signs calling out Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Over the past week various Spanish officials have expressed support for the demonstrations.