Desk Report:
Spain has cancelled a third arms deal with Israel. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the cancelled deal was worth 207 million euros. The matter comes at a time when international pressure is mounting against Israel, a country that has been carrying out genocide in Gaza.
Spain approved a complete arms embargo at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. As a result, the export and import of all types of defense equipment, technology and related products with Israel has been stopped. Finance Minister Carlos Cuerpo said after the cabinet meeting, “This decision is a major step forward. It is a pioneering international step towards a complete arms embargo against Israel.”
Earlier this month, Madrid cancelled a deal worth around 700 million euros. Under that deal, it was supposed to buy rocket launchers of Israeli design. Spain confirmed that the move was taken as part of a broader decision to ban arms deals with Israel. These measures are being taken to increase pressure on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
In this regard, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that new steps will be taken to end the genocide in Gaza. This includes legally strengthening the existing decision to ban defense contracts with Israel.
Before that, on September 9, the government also canceled the contract for 168 anti-tank missile launchers. These weapons were supposed to be manufactured in Spain, but under Israeli license. The contract was worth 287.5 million euros.
A few days ago, Pedro Sanchez called on global sports organizations to ban Israel from international sports competitions. Sanchez said at a meeting of his party that the country’s participation in global sports events while the Israeli attack on Gaza continues is unacceptable.
He raised the question, “Will sports organizations not think about whether it is ethical to keep Israel in international competitions?” “Russia was expelled after the invasion of Ukraine, why not Israel after the invasion of Gaza? As long as this barbarity continues, neither country—Russia nor Israel—should be in international competition.”
