The head of the left-wing Spanish government, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, announced in a televised address earlier this week that Spain cannot stop Israel from operating in Gaza because it “doesn’t have nuclear bombs.”

“Spain doesn’t have nuclear bombs, nor aircraft carriers, nor a large amount of oil reserves, so we alone can’t stop Israel,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t stop trying because there are causes worth fighting for even if it’s not in our sole power to win them.”

After ruling out striking Israel with a nuclear bomb, Sanchez announced nine steps “to stop the genocide in Gaza,” including a total arms embargo on Israel and a ban on ships “assisting the Israeli army” (by carrying fuel) from docking in Spanish ports.

Apart from arousing Israel’s ire, Sánchez’s comments were slammed by many Spanish politicians, with one right-wing politician scornfully stating, “Sánchez wants nuclear weapons—to defend Hamas rather than Spain.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed the remarks, stating that Sanchez leads a “hostile anti-Israeli line, wild rhetoric dripping with hatred,” and announcing sanctions on antisemitic members of his government.

In response to Sa’ar’s comments, Spain pulled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and the next day announced a ban on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country.

Sa’ar responded to the official announcement in a long tweet he published on X, in which he wrote, “The government of Spain is leading a hostile anti-Israeli line, with wild rhetoric dripping with hatred.

The attempt by the corrupt Sánchez administration to divert attention from severe corruption scandals through a continuous anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attack is transparent.

The obsessive activism of the current Spanish government against Israel stands out against the background of its ties with dark tyrannical regimes—from the Ayatollah regime in Iran to the Maduro government in Venezuela.

Also striking is the lack of historical awareness of Spain’s crimes against the Jewish people, including the crimes of the Inquisition, from forced conversions to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain—the complete ethnic cleansing of Jews from Spain at the end of the 15th century.

As is recalled, Spain was the last of the Western European countries to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. The current government of Spain is deliberately and crudely harming those relations, which were steadily built over decades during the tenures of both Socialist and Conservative governments.

Not every criticism of Israeli policy is antisemitism. However, when it is characterized by demonization, delegitimization, and double standards—this is antisemitism, according to the IHRA definition. In all these aspects, the statements of members of the Spanish government are tainted. As such, its policy is tainted. This is antisemitism. Therefore, I have decided to raise the issue of the overt antisemitism of members of the current Spanish government before the IHRA plenary session. The Government of Israel, the state of the Jewish people, has the duty to stand up and warn against institutionalized antisemitism and to present it as it is, without embellishment.

In addition, it is no longer possible to avoid imposing personal sanctions against members of the Spanish government who have crossed every red line.

Therefore, I have decided, together with Acting Minister of the Interior Yariv Levin and with the approval of the Prime Minister, that we will impose personal sanctions as follows:

Regarding the Deputy Prime Minister of Spain and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz—her entry into Israel will be prohibited, and Israel will not maintain any contact with her.

Already in October 2023, days after the massacre, Díaz accused Israel of committing war crimes.

In May 2024—the day after Spain’s recognition of a “Palestinian state”—she said that this was “only the first step until Palestine is liberated from the river to the sea”—a call whose meaning is the elimination of the State of Israel, a call that has been banned in European countries such as Germany.

In October 2024, after the start of the ground maneuver in Lebanon (and after Israel had been attacked for a year from its territory), she called for international sanctions against Israel.

In December 2024, she called for the boycott of Israeli products and testified about herself that she refrains from buying Israeli products.

In April 2025, she called Israel a “genocide state” and called for an arms embargo against it.

In July 2025 she called for full severance of relations.

It is clear that Díaz, leader of the extremist “Sumar” party, is exploiting the political weakness of Prime Minister Sánchez and is dragging him, step by step, into implementing her anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic agenda.

Similar sanctions will also be imposed against Sira Rego, Minister of Youth and Children, from the same party. Her entry into Israel will be prohibited, and Israel will not maintain any contact with her.

Rego published on October 7th (!) 2023 a post in which she justified the massacre.

In April 2025, she called Israel “the genocide state,” opposed security trade with it, and said that not even one euro should reach Israel.

In May 2025, she called for full severance of relations and for sanctions “against the genocide regime.” She called on the European Union to cut all ties with Israel and to impose sanctions on it at every level.

Last week, she supported the violent demonstrations against the Israeli team in the international cycling competition “La Vuelta.” Support for terror and violence against Israelis are evident in her statemens.

Therefore, the entry of the above ministers into Israel is prohibited, and Israel will not maintain any contact with them.

In addition, Israel will bring to the attention of its allies the hostile conduct of the government of Spain and the anti-Semitic and violent dimension in its ministers’ statements. It is important that Israel’s friends around the world be able to understand the dangerous character of the current Spanish government.

Further decisions will be made later, in consultation with the Prime Minister.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)