Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calls for Israel's exclusion from international sports, after waning of Eurovision boycott. Image credit: AFP
(The Post News) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has escalated his criticism of Israel’s Gaza war, calling on global sports unions to sanction Israel out of global competition, cancelling a €700 million arms contract with an Israeli defence firm, and warning he will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel participates.
Sánchez, in a speech to his Socialist Party members on Monday, stated that Israel should receive the same treatment as Russia, which was excluded from international sport when it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
“Expel Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and not Israel after the invasion of Gaza? Until the savagery stops, Russia and Israel must not be present in any international competition,” Sánchez stated.
His remarks came after pro-Palestinian protesters raised the premature cancellation of Sunday’s last stage of the Vuelta a España in Madrid. Protesters clashed with police and threw barriers onto the race course in protest at the presence of the Israel-Premier Tech team.
The officer reported 22 hurt and two arrests. The Spanish government estimated that more than 100,000 participated in the demonstration, making it among the largest Gaza solidarity demonstrations in Europe this year.
Spain Cancels Israeli Arms Deal
The tensions mounted following local media, AFP, and Haaretz reports that Madrid cancelled a €700 million order for 12 PULS rocket launchers produced by Israeli defence company Elbit Systems. The October 2023 agreement was under Spain’s SILAM programme by a group of Spanish weapons manufacturers.
In the move, Spain has therefore cancelled nearly €1 billion in deals with Israeli defence firms, after a previous cancellation of Rafael Advanced Defence Systems.
Sánchez vowed last week to make the prohibition on sales or purchases of weapons with Israel part of the law, presenting the action as a method for Spain to “put an end to barbarity” in Gaza.
Spain’s government has also focused its criticism towards the cultural sector. Spain’s Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun declared Spain “can’t normalise Israel’s inclusion in international events,” warning Madrid is prepared to boycott Eurovision in the event Israel takes part in the 2025 contest.
More than 70 former Eurovision participants have already signed an open letter requesting Israel to be excluded from the competition. Slovenia’s RTVSLO has already threatened to withdraw, and Iceland has also shown signs of the same.
Political Backlash
Sánchez’s stance has elicited acrid condemnation at home. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused him of turning Spain “into an international embarrassment,” while Madrid’s conservative regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso said he had “full responsibility” for the Vuelta chaos.
Israel’s government also responded. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called Sánchez “an antisemite and a liar” and accused him of inciting demonstrations that disrupted Spain’s most prestigious bike race. Two Spanish cabinet ministers, Yolanda Díaz and Sira Rego, were banned from going to Israel last week for their condemnation of the war in Gaza.
Gaza war has so far taken the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry reports, following Hamas-led fighters’ killing of 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The United Nations has described Gaza’s hunger crisis as “man-made.”.
Norway’s football federation announced it would be donating ticket proceeds from its upcoming World Cup qualifying match against Israel to the aid group Doctors Without Borders. France, Britain, and Australia are weighing Palestinian state recognition as European disagreement over Israel’s conduct increases.
Vuelta race director Javier Guillén confirmed Sunday’s disruption would certainly have an impact on future sporting events. The next touchstone is likely to be next year’s Tour de France, which begins in Barcelona.
As Sánchez doubles down on calls for boycotts of Israel in sport, in culture, and in defence, Spain has emerged as one of the most vocal European critics of Israel’s war, fueling both internal political tensions and diplomatic rifts with Tel Aviv.
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