Madrid: Spain has barred two far-right Israeli government ministers from entering its territory in response to sanctions imposed by Israel on Spanish officials, escalating a diplomatic rift between Madrid and Tel Aviv.

Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir “will not be able to enter Spanish territory,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced during a press conference on Tuesday, September 9, Wafa News Agency reported.

Albares stressed that Spain had a “moral duty” to act in line with its national and European sovereignty and uphold international human rights standards.

Citing Spanish news agency El Pais, Anadolu reported that Albares said the decision was taken because both ministers are “directly involved in promoting Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza.”

Reacting to the move, Ben-Gvir posted on X in Spanish, “Don’t let me in… to those from Gaza, give them free entry to Spain.”

The decision came a day after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez unveiled nine measures aimed at preventing what he described as “Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”

These measures include an entry ban on “all those directly involved in genocide, human rights violations, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip.”

Sanchez also announced that Spain will prohibit planes and ships carrying weapons or transporting fuel for Israel from entering Spanish airspace or docking at its ports.

The move follows Israel’s recent sanctions against Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz and Minister of Youth and Children Sira Rego, further intensifying tensions between the two nations.

Spain’s government has been one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s war in Gaza, which began after Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 hostages during the October 7, 2023, attacks.

In 2024, Spain joined Norway and Ireland in formally recognising a Palestinian state and became the first European country to seek permission from the UN’s top court to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

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