Spain’s PM targets Israel to distract from domestic troubles

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday a raft of punitive measures against Israel, including a ban on Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from Spanish ports and airspace, an embargo on goods produced in Israeli settlements, and new funding for the Palestinian Authority and the UN agency UNRWA.

Sánchez even claimed he would prohibit individuals allegedly involved in what he described as “genocide” from entering Spain — language widely dismissed as inflammatory and politically motivated.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar quickly condemned the measures, calling them “antisemitic” and accusing Sánchez of using Israel as a scapegoat to distract from his own domestic corruption scandals. Israel responded by barring two far-left Spanish ministers, Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz and Youth Minister Sira Rego, from entering the country.

The escalation reflects what many observers view as the ideological DNA of Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE), long hostile to Israel and increasingly influenced by its far-left coalition partners. For Sánchez and his allies, vilifying Israel has become a political reflex.

Yet the gap between the government’s hostility and Spanish public opinion is striking. A recent poll shows that 78% of Spaniards support Israel’s fight against terrorism, underscoring how out of step Sánchez is with the electorate.

His anti-Israel posturing also comes at a time when his government is deeply unpopular at home. Critics argue that Sánchez is weaponizing foreign policy to score points with activist lobbies while ignoring Spain’s economic and political crises.

Instead of advancing peace, Sánchez’s measures risk legitimizing Hamas, weakening Europe’s credibility, and further isolating Spain on the international stage.