Spain’s parliament approves total arms embargo on Israel

OVIEDO, Spain (MNTV) – Spain’s parliament on Wednesday approved a government decree formalizing a complete arms embargo on Israel, as part of a broader sanctions package introduced in response to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza.

The decree, described by Madrid as one of the toughest in Europe, bans all exports and imports of defense and dual-use technologies between Spain and Israel.

It also prohibits ships and aircraft carrying military fuel or equipmentbound for Israel from entering Spanish ports or airspace, the government said.

The measure narrowly passed after the far-left Podemos party joined other left-wing and regional allies in supporting the government. Podemos leader Ione Belarra, who delayed announcing her party’s position until hours before the vote, said Madrid should “go further” by canceling existing contracts and severing all ties with Israel.

She previously dismissed the embargo as a “fake measure,” accusing authorities of hypocrisy for allowing “four ships carrying US military equipment for Israel” to dock in Spanish ports even after the ban took effect last month.

Ministers defend measure as ‘pioneering step’

During Tuesday’s parliamentary debate, Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo called the embargo “a firm and pioneering step at the international level,” while Defense Minister Margarita Robles said it marked “the final step in a long process” that began after Oct. 7.

Robles noted that Spain had already halted military exports to Israel on that day.

The conservative Popular Party (PP) and far-right Vox opposed the measure, arguing it would harm Spain’s foreign relations.

The embargo forms part of a sanctions package adopted in September by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’sgovernment. It also includes a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and an increase in humanitarian aid to Palestinians.