Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that Spain will ban the import of goods made in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, as part of nine measures aimed at putting pressure on Israel.
The measures aim to "stop the genocide in Gaza, pursue its perpetrators and support the Palestinian population", Mr Sánchez said in a televised address.
Among the measures is a ban on Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from calling at Spanish ports or entering Spanish airspace, Mr Sanchez confirmed.
Spain will also increase aid to the Palestinian authority and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
"We hope that (the measures) will serve to add pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government to alleviate some of the suffering that the Palestinian population is enduring," Mr Sánchez said in a public address aired on local TV.
"All those people participating directly in the genocide, the violation of human rights and war crimes in the Gaza Strip," will be banned from entering Spanish territory, he added.
Mr Sánchez also pledged €150m for humanitarian aid in Gaza and announced new collaboration projects in agriculture, food security and medical aid to support the Palestinian Authority.
Consular services for Spanish citizens residing in illegal Israeli settlements will be limited "to the legally obligatory minimum assistance", he said.
Spain also banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from calling at Spanish ports or entering its airspace due to Israel's military offensive in Gaza.
On top of the ban on ships and aircraft delivering weapons or military-grade jet fuel to Israel, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government said it would not allow anyone who has participated directly in "genocide" in Gaza to enter Spain.
Israel has strongly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide, and it is fighting a case at the International Court of Justice in the Hague that accuses it of genocide.
Mr Saar accused Mr Sánchez of using the measures in an attempt to divert attention from domestic corruption scandals, and announced an entry ban on Mr Sánchez's deputy, Yolanda Diaz, and Youth Minister Sira Rego.
Both belong to hard-left party Sumar, the junior partner in Mr Sánchez's coalition government.
Spain's Foreign Ministry said Israel's entry ban was unacceptable, adding that Mr Sánchez's measures were in line with public sentiment in Spain and reflected Madrid's support for peace, human rights and international law.
It said Spain was committed to fighting anti-Semitism, pointing to the granting of Spanish citizenship to 72,000 Sephardic Jews, descendants of those expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century.
In a separate statement, the ministry said Spain strongly condemned the "terrorist act in East Jerusalem", in which Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop, killing six people, including a Spanish national living in Israel.
Israel FM accuses Spain of waging 'anti-Israel and anti-Semitic campaign'
Following the announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Spain of anti-Semitism.
"The attempt by Sanchez's corrupt administration to divert attention from serious corruption scandals through a continuous anti-Israel and antisemitic campaign is transparent," Mr Saar wrote on X.
He also said that Spain's deputy prime minister and labour minister, Yolanda Diaz, would be barred from entering Israel, which "will not maintain any contact with her".
"Today we put a red line here, demonstrating we will not take it from them anymore," Mr Saar added during a press conference in Budapest with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto.
He denounced both Spain and France, saying that "if they are so enthusiastic to establish a Palestinian state, they have huge territories... they can do that in their own territory".
Israel's relations with France have been particularly strained since President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired a conference in July with Saudi Arabia to call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr Saar added that Israel would "not risk" its security by having "indefensible borders".
"We will not repeat the mistakes of the past," he said.
Earlier this month, Belgium introduced a ban on imports of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, while Slovenia introduced a similar ban last month.
The Occupied Territories Bill has yet to be passed in Ireland with an Oireachtas committee recommending that any bill should include a ban on both services and goods from the occupied Palestinian territories.
