Spain's leader labels 'Israel' as genocidal, denies business ties
2 Min Read
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called "Israel" a genocidal state during a parliamentary session, marking his strongest stance yet, following various actions against the zionist entity.
-
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference at the Spanish Embassy in Beijing Friday, April 11, 2025 (AP)
The Spanish prime minister on Wednesday used his strongest language yet regarding "Israel", which he described as a "genocidal state," while also declaring that Spain refuses to engage in business with it.
During a parliamentary question-and-answer session in Madrid, Pedro Sanchez faced criticism from Gabriel Rufian, a Catalan member of parliament, who accused the Socialist leader of continuing trade relations with "Israel" despite the ongoing war on Gaza.
"I want to make one thing clear here, Mr. Rufian. We do not do business with a genocidal state, we do not," Sanchez affirmed, adding that he believes that the other day, from this platform, I explained precisely what we were talking about when some things were mentioned that do not correspond to the truth."
Local media reported that this marked the first time Sanchez had publicly referred to "Israel" as a "genocidal state," a term often used by his leftwing coalition partner, Sumar.
Spain urges UN: stop Gaza killing
On May 7, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that Spain will submit a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly, calling for urgent measures to halt the killing of innocent civilians and guarantee humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Speaking before the Spanish parliament, Sanchez emphasized that "the international community cannot remain indifferent to what is happening" amid escalating violence in the Palestinian territory, where Israeli forces continue their bombardment of Gaza while restricting the entry of humanitarian aid.
Sanchez, who has emerged as one of Europe's most outspoken critics of the ongoing offensive, took the significant step last year of formally recognizing Palestine as a state.
According to AFP reports on May 24, citing government sources, Spain has decided to unilaterally terminate a multi-million-dollar arms contract with Israeli defense company IMI Systems, a move that comes after mounting political pressure and growing concerns about Israel's military actions in Gaza.
The 6.8 million euro ($7.8 million) agreement, which was meant to provide ammunition to Spain's Civil Guard, faced termination after unsuccessful negotiations between the parties, leading the Spanish government to take unilateral action.
