Israel Summons Spanish Envoy Over Minister's Palestinian State Remarks
Israel summoned Spain's chargé d'affaires after Minister Sira Abed Rego called for a Palestinian state from the river to the sea.
The Foreign Ministry of Israel summoned Spanish chargé d'affaires Francisca Pedrós on Monday to protest remarks made by Sira Abed Rego, Spain's Minister of Youth and Children. During an event in Madrid presenting Palestinian Ambassador Fadi Elhusseini, Rego stated that Spanish society supports a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea" and called for an end to diplomatic and commercial ties between Spain and Israel.
Israeli officials characterized the slogan as a call for the erasure of the State of Israel and accused the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of pursuing a systematic anti-Israel policy. The ministry further criticized Rego for her previous refusal to condemn the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and noted she was barred from entering Israel in September 2025.
This diplomatic clash follows a period of significant deterioration in bilateral relations. Spain lowered its diplomatic representation in March by not returning its ambassador to Israel, implemented a comprehensive arms embargo in September 2025, and was the only European nation to walk out of the UN General Assembly during a speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The tension coincides with reports of rising antisemitic incidents in Spain, including the exclusion of Jewish novelist Ariana Harwicz from a literary festival in Granada.
