Spain’s parliament formally approves Israel arms embargo

The vote, which passes 178 votes to 169, enshrines into instrumentality an embargo that has been successful effect since the warfare began.

Spain’s parliament has approved the enshrinement successful instrumentality of a full arms embargo connected Israel, permanently banning the merchantability of weapons, dual-use exertion and subject instrumentality successful effect to the genocide successful Gaza.

Lawmakers voted 178 to 169 connected Wednesday to ratify a decree announced successful September by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has emerged arsenic 1 of the astir vocal critics connected the planetary signifier of Israel’s behaviour implicit the people of the two-year warfare connected Gaza.

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“Israel’s effect to the unspeakable attacks committed by the violent radical Hamas connected October 7, 2023, has ended up becoming an indiscriminate onslaught against the Palestinian colonisation that the bulk of experts person called genocide,” the preamble of the instrumentality reads.

The measurement formalises a prohibition that has fundamentally been successful spot since October 2023. Defence Minister Margarita Robles described the ballot arsenic “the last measurement successful a agelong process” that had been playing retired since the warfare began.

Sanchez announced a decree past period to “consolidate successful law” the embargo arsenic portion of a bid of measures to ratchet up unit connected Israel.

That announcement drew a furious effect from Israel, which had already withdrawn its ambassador past twelvemonth erstwhile Spain recognised a Palestinian state.

Wide-reaching embargo

The instrumentality bans each exports of defence equipment, products and exertion to Israel arsenic good arsenic the import of specified goods from the country.

The prohibition besides covers the transit of substance oregon worldly with imaginable subject use, prohibiting ships and craft carrying specified cargoes from entering Spanish ports and airspace.

It carves retired exceptions for dual-use defence instrumentality “if the exertion of the prohibition harmed wide nationalist interests”.

In addition, the instrumentality bans the advertizing of products “coming from amerciable colonies successful Gaza and the West Bank”.

Delayed vote

The ballot had been initially scheduled for Tuesday but was delayed a time to debar occurring connected the day of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught connected confederate Israel.

The Israeli embassy successful Spain had criticised the archetypal timing arsenic “cynical and reprehensible”.​​​​​​​

Last-minute enactment from the far-left enactment Podemos, which holds 4 seats, helped unafraid the ballot for Sanchez’s leftist number conjugation aft the smaller enactment had criticised the instrumentality for not going acold enough. Podemos person Ione Belarra urged the authorities to sever each ties with Israel.

The blimpish Popular Party (PP) and far-right Vox voted against the law.

Last month, Sanchez urged planetary sporting bodies to ban Israel from competitions, saying its attraction should reflector Russia’s exclusion aft the penetration of Ukraine successful 2022. The comments drew a furious effect from Israel.