Spain Scraps Contested Israeli Arms Deal after Uproar

Spain on Thursday cancelled a contract to buy bullets from an Israeli company following pressure from the Socialist-led government’s far-left coalition partner — a move swiftly condemned by Israel.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, halted weapons transactions with Israel after the outbreak of the war following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The interior ministry sought to terminate the 6.8-million-euro ($7.8 million) contract with Israeli firm IMI Systems, which was to supply bullets to the Spanish Civil Guard police force, AFP said.

But on Wednesday the ministry said it had abandoned its attempt to cancel the deal after state legal services advised against it “due to the advanced stage of the processing of the contract” and because it would have had to pay without receiving the bullets.

The far-left Sumar party, the junior partner in Sanchez’s ruling coalition, reacted angrily, calling the reversal “a blatant violation” of the government’s pledge not to trade weapons with Israel.

On Thursday government sources said the contract would be “unilaterally” terminated.