The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that Spain recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv on Monday evening for consultations, following Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar's description of Madrid as "anti-Semitic."
The commission said that "Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares ordered the return of Ambassador Ana Maria Solomon from Tel Aviv for consultations, following Sa'ar's accusations of anti-Semitism against Madrid."
There was no immediate statement from the Spanish side regarding the ambassador's summons, but earlier on Monday, the Spanish Foreign Ministry issued a statement categorically rejecting Israeli accusations of anti-Semitism.
The diplomatic crisis between Madrid and Tel Aviv escalated over Israeli accusations of anti-Semitism against Spain, following its adoption of a nine-point package of sanctions over Israel's "genocide" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the past two years.
Among the sanctions, as announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday morning, are an arms embargo, a ban on ships carrying fuel for the Israeli military from docking in Spanish ports, and a ban on all aircraft carrying defense equipment to Israel from using Spanish airspace.
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According to Sanchez, all those directly involved in the genocide, human rights violations, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip will be barred from entering Spain, and the import of products from Palestinian territories occupied by the Israelis will be prohibited.
In response to the Spanish decisions, Israel imposed sanctions on two Spanish ministers for their alleged involvement in genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The ministers, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Yolanda Díaz, and Minister of Youth and Children Sira Rego, were both banned from entering Tel Aviv.
The Israeli Foreign Minister also launched a fierce attack on the Spanish government, saying it was "leading a hostile, anti-Israel line with hateful rhetoric" and waging "a continuous anti-Semitic attack," he claimed.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 64,522 Palestinians dead and 163,096 wounded, most of them children and women, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has killed 393 Palestinians, including 140 children.
