On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchSpain has formally summoned Israel’s acting ambassador in Madrid following accusations from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office that Spain’s prime minister had threatened Israel.Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called in Dana Erlich, Israel’s charge d’affaires and the highest-ranking diplomat in the country, to convey a strong message. An official from Spain’s Foreign Ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly, stated the purpose was “to categorically reject the false and slanderous statements from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office.”It’s the latest development in an ongoing diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two countries that ensued after Spain’s prime minister announced measures Monday to pressure Israel to end the Gaza war.In a post Thursday on social platform X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had made a “blatant genocidal threat,” in reference to comments made by the Spanish leader when he announced the steps the Spanish government was taking. “Spain, as you know, doesn’t have nuclear bombs, nor aircraft carriers or large oil reserves. We alone can’t stop the Israeli offensive,” Sánchez said in a televised address Monday. open image in gallerySpain Israel (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, file))The measures included an embargo on weapons, ammunition and military equipment sold to or from Israel and blocking Israel-bound fuel deliveries from passing through Spanish ports. Since then, Israel and Spain have each banned a pair of ministers from the opposite country.Spain’s government has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, which began after Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on Oct. 7, 2023, and abducted 251 hostages. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants.
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Spain summons Israel ambassador following Netanyahu’s ‘blatant genocidal threat’ comments
