MADRID
\nSpain and Israel\u2019s relations plunged to new depths on Tuesday as Madrid barred two far-right Israeli government ministers, a day after announcing measures aimed at stopping what it called \u201cthe genocide in Gaza.\u201d
\nIsrael\u2019s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich would be sanctioned and \u201cnot be able to enter Spanish territory,\u201d Madrid\u2019s top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares told a press conference.
\nPrime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday had unveiled nine measures in response to the devastating war in Gaza, launched after Palestinian militant group Hamas\u2019s unprecedented attack on Israel in 2023.
\nThe measures included an entry ban on \u201call those people participating directly in the genocide, the violation of human rights and war crimes in the Gaza Strip.\u201d
\nBen Gvir and Smotrich are already the target of sanctions by Western countries including Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia.
\nSpain had already placed 13 Israeli settlers on its sanctions list.
\nMonday\u2019s announcement triggered a furious reaction from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who accused the Spanish government of antisemitism and barred two of its far-left members.
\nSpain in turn rejected what it called the \u201cslanderous\u201d accusations and recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv. Albares said on Tuesday there was \u201cno scheduled return date\u201d for her.
\nRelations were already poor, with Spain maintaining outspoken criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza and recognizing a Palestinian state last year.
\nThe October 7, 2023 Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
\nPalestinian militants also seized 251 hostages, with 47 still held in Gaza, including 25 believed to be dead.
\nIsrael\u2019s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,605 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MADRID Spain and Israel\u2019s relations plunged to new depths on Tuesday as Madrid barred two far-right Israeli government ministers, a day after announcing measures aimed at stopping what it called \u201cthe genocide in Gaza.\u201d Israel\u2019s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich would be sanctioned and \u201cnot be able to enter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-501894","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n