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Spain summons Israeli charge d’affaires over Netanyahu office remarks
Spain has summoned Israel’s acting ambassador in Madrid in response to comments made by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office that accused the European nation’s leader of threatening Israel.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called in Dana Erlich, Israel’s charge d’affaires in Spain and the highest-ranking diplomat in the country, “to categorically reject the false and slanderous statements from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office”, an official at Spain’s Foreign Ministry has said.
It is the latest development in an ongoing diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two countries that ensued after Spain’s prime minister announced measures to pressure Israel to end the Gaza war.
These included an embargo on weapons, ammunition and military equipment sold to or from Israel and blocking Israel-bound fuel deliveries from passing through Spanish ports.
In a post on Thursday on social platform X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had made a “blatant genocidal threat”, in reference to comments made by the Spanish leader when he announced the steps the Spanish government was taking.
“Spain, as you know, doesn’t have nuclear bombs, nor aircraft carriers or large oil reserves. We alone can’t stop the Israeli offensive,” Sanchez said in a televised address on Monday.
High-level talks in Washington, DC – Qatari prime minister meets top US officials
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at the White House.
Israel’s war in Gaza and Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha were among the discussion items.
Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, and has long been a US ally.
