Spain bars far-right Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich from entry
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Spain has imposed entry bans on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich as part of broader measures to halt the genocide in Gaza.
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Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich talk with each other during the swearing-in ceremony for Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset, al-Quds, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022 (AP)
In response to the ongoing war on Gaza and as part of a broader set of measures intended to halt what it has termed a genocide, the Spanish government has approved a ban prohibiting entry into the country for the far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced the measure at the end of the Ministerial Council meeting, which greenlit measures announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Albares stated that the Police Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, will be included in a list of sanctioned individuals who "will not be allowed to enter Spanish territory." This list already includes thirteen Israeli settlers.
He explained that this is "an open and evolving list" to which the government intends to gradually add "all those people who demonstrate through their conduct and statements that they want to make the solution that will bring peace and security to all - the two-state solution - completely unlivable."
Other diplomatic measures on the table
The Spanish foreign minister assured that they will not be "intimidated" and does not rule out other diplomatic measures.
When specifically asked why Netanyahu isn't on the list, Albares argued that "there are already measures from international bodies and courts that are fully in effect in Spain."
This decision comes in response to a decision by the Netanyahu government to ban the second Spanish vice-president, Yolanda Diaz, and Youth Minister, Sira Rego, from entering "Israel" in response to the measures announced by Sanchez. Spain additionally decided to recall the ambassador in Tel Aviv, Ana Maria Salomon.
Sanchez on Monday announced the nine new measures aimed at stopping the “genocide in Gaza,” stating, in a televised address, “What Israel is doing is not defending itself, it is exterminating a defenseless population."
He said that although Spain has de facto been applying an export ban on weapons to "Israel" since 2023, the government will now urgently legislate a “permanent” ban, a measure that will be joined by prohibiting ships transporting fuel to Israeli forces from using Spanish ports and banning aircraft carrying defense material from Spanish airspace.
The Spanish premier added that individuals “directly involved in the genocide, violating human rights and war crimes in Gaza” will be prohibited from entering Spain.
Other measures include banning imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, limiting Spanish consular services to Spanish citizens living in the occupied territories to the bare minimum, and increasing Spain’s presence in Rafah with additional troops and new joint projects with the Palestinian Authority to provide food and medicine.
