Spain Approves Decree Consolidating Arms Embargo on Israel and Banning Imports from Illegal Settlements

Spain’s Council of Ministers approved a royal decree law with urgent measures against what the decree describes as the genocide in Gaza and in support of the Palestinian population, according to La Moncloa, the Government of Spain’s official site. The text must be validated by the Congress of Deputies within 30 days. Separately, RTVE reported that the arms embargo on Israel was announced on Monday by the Government of Pedro Sánchez, who announced nine measures against Israel in total, including the legal consolidation of the embargo.

According to La Moncloa, the decree consolidates the total arms embargo on Israel. It prohibits exports to Israel and imports from Israel of defence materials and dual-use technology. It also denies Spain’s request for transit of fuels with possible military use in Israel. RTVE reported that the government will ban the passage through Spanish territory to Israel of planes and ships carrying war materiel.

La Moncloa reported that the decree’s third pillar prohibits importing products originating from illegal Israeli settlements into occupied Palestinian territory, and prohibits marketing of and services provided to those settlements. The text revokes authorisations in force on the date the standard enters into force and prohibits pending resolutions.

RTVE cited a report from the Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Enterprise using data from the first half of 2024. That report shows defence export sales abroad totaled 1,976.1 million euros in that period. It also states that since 7 October 2023, no new export operations of defence materials for final destination in Israel have been authorised, and that exports to Israel in the first half of 2024 were below €1,150,000, just under 0.06 per cent of exports. RTVE’s headline frames this as the share of defence exports that would be affected by the embargo.

La Moncloa’s report states that almost two years have passed since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. It also reports more than 65,000 deaths in Gaza, more than 165,000 injured and around 2 million displaced. These figures are presented in the government report, and the two reports frame the decree differently: La Moncloa describes it in terms of the genocide in Gaza and support for the Palestinian population, while RTVE’s coverage focuses on the scale of the export impact and the measures announced.

Israel responded by accusing Spain of anti-Semitism and banning the entry of Vice President Yolanda Díaz and Minister of Youth Sira Rego, according to RTVE. Israel’s Foreign Ministry called for consultations with the Spanish ambassador in Tel Aviv (Proverbs 31:8-9).