Brussels – Spain blocks arms shipment to Israel.
Recently, Spain has denied a Danish-flagged ship carrying 27 tonnes of explosive material from India to Israel permission to dock at its ports, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced on Monday.
“This is the first time we have done this because it is the first time we have detected a ship carrying a shipment of arms to Israel that wants to call at a Spanish port,” Albares told reporters in Brussels.
He affirmed that this policy would be consistently applied to any vessel transporting arms to Israel seeking entry into Spanish ports.
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“The Middle East does not need more weapons; it needs more peace,” Albares stated, emphasizing Spain’s stance.
The decision, first reported by El País, identified the ship as carrying explosive material from Madras in India to the port of Haifa in Israel.
This move aligns with Spain’s broader foreign policy, which has been particularly critical of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
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Spain has emerged as one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s Gaza offensive, actively working to galvanize support among European nations for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Following Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, Spain halted arms sales to the country, reinforcing its stance against contributing to the ongoing conflict.
From the Nakba 76 years ago, all the way up until til today, the Jewish National Fund has been using “environmentalism” and tree-planting to Greenwash Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.🌲 pic.twitter.com/N5ZaxbCOTN
— Mondoweiss (@Mondoweiss) May 17, 2024
As Spain blocks arms shipment to Israel, on the other hand, the war in Gaza, which began on October 7, has resulted in significant casualties and hostilities.
The conflict started when Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel, leading to the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the taking of 253 hostages.
In response, Israel has conducted extensive military operations in Gaza.
The Gaza health ministry, managed by Hamas, reports over 35,000 people killed or presumed dead, although only around 24,000 fatalities have been confirmed by hospitals.
The reported death toll includes both civilians and militants, with Israel stating that it has killed about 15,000 Hamas operatives and that 1,000 terrorists were killed during the initial incursion on October 7.
