Following public and media pressure, the Spanish government has announced the immediate cancelation of a $7 million contract to procure arms from a privately-owned Israeli company. The announcement represents a further escalation in relations between the countries and a worsening of Israel's image in Europe, after Spain declared a weapons embargo on Israel, has presented ships carrying defense equipment bound for Israel to call at its ports and led efforts in the EU to impose sanctions of Israel. Israel recalled its Ambassador to Spain to protest the pro-Palestinian policy led by the government and Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz has accused Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of "embracing Hamas terrorists."
This week a Spanish radio station revealed that despite the Spanish government's declared voluntary arms embargo on Israel and commitment to suspend weapons exports to Israel, Spain's Ministry of Interior awarded a $6.6 million contract earlier this month to an Israeli company to deliver 15 million nine millimeter pistol bullets. According to the report the contract was awarded to Spanish company Guardian Defense & Homeland Security SA, which is controlled by Israeli company Guardian Holdings Ltd. The Spanish company is headed by Ilan Arzooan and has previously supply weapons to the Spanish police, which is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior.
The uncovering of the deal stirred up a storm of controversy in Spain, and especially within the government, after the commitment by the Ministry of Defense to stop buying weapons, ammunition and defense equipment from Israel after October 7, 2023. The contract to buy bullets from the Israeli-owned company was signed on October 22, 2024, after it won a Ministry of Interior tender to supply the ammunition. Spain's Minister of Defense Margarita Robles published a public letter responding to demands by Sumar, the left wing party in the government coalition, saying that the Defense Ministry has signed no new contracts to procure defense equipment from Israel. As previously mentioned it was the Ministry of Interior that signed the contract.
Earlier this week, Spain's Ministry of interior said it would, 'work immediately" to cancel the contract awarded to the Israeli company. It added that it would disqualify Israeli companies from bidding for future tenders, "while the war in Gaza continues." The government spokesperson said, "The moment that the contract was brought to our attention, the government began a swift process to cancel it," and "the Spanish government's commitment not to buy or sell weapons to Israel remains in place." Politicians on the left in Spain called on the Minister of Interior to resign over the incident.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 30, 2024.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.