Spain has categorically rejected “false and slanderous accusations of antisemitism” from Israel following the announcement by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of nine measures aimed at stopping what he called the “genocide in Gaza,” AFP reported.

The country’s Foreign Ministry also condemned Israel’s decision to bar entry to two far-left ministers in the government – Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz and Minister of Youth Sira Rego. Spain emphasized that it will not yield to threats in defending peace, international law, and human rights.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated on X that Sánchez’s criticism of the war is “an attempt to divert attention from serious corruption scandals through a continuous anti-Israel and antisemitic campaign.” Saar also confirmed the entry ban for Díaz and Rego – members of the far-left group Sumar, a partner in Sánchez’s coalition.

Rego is of Palestinian descent on her father’s side and spent part of her childhood in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Sánchez’s measures also include an arms embargo on Israel and a ban on Spanish ports for ships transporting fuel to the Israeli military.

Spain is one of the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s destructive war in Gaza, which began following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, and the country recognized the State of Palestine last year. | BGNES