Israel slams Spain for dropping €6.6M ammunition deal

Israel’s Foreign Ministry harshly criticized the Spanish government Thursday for canceling a controversial €6.6 million deal involving the purchase of 15 million bullets from an Israeli company.

“Israel strongly condemns the Spanish government’s decision to unilaterally break a contract signed with the company IMI Systems,” a spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Spanish daily El País.

“The Spanish government is sacrificing security considerations for political purposes and continues to be on the wrong side of history against the Jewish state that is defending itself from terrorist attacks on seven fronts,” the spokesperson added.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Thursday ordered Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska to unilaterally terminate the arms agreement with the Israeli firm.

Critics, both within and outside the government, saw the deal as contradicting Spain’s vocal condemnation of Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, where the death toll has reportedly surpassed 50,000.

Spain has been among the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, and has enforced an embargo on arms trade with Israel since 2023.

Cancellation of the munitions contract has caused political turmoil within Sánchez’s coalition in recent days, after Spanish media reported the deal was moving forward despite the government’s announcement to the contrary.

“The important thing today is that it is finally rescinded, and that the government of Spain does not do business with a genocidal government, as in this case it is the one massacring the Palestinian people,” said Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz, who heads junior coalition partner Sumar, in announcing the contract’s cancellation Thursday.