Spain removes ambassador from Israel

Madrid has permanently terminated the diplomatic position as the rift with West Jerusalem deepens over the attack against Iran

Spain has permanently withdrawn its ambassador from Israel, formally downgrading the level of diplomatic relations with the country.

The long-strained relations between Madrid and West Jerusalem have deteriorated amid the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran.

Spain is the only Western nation that has strongly condemned the attacks. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said his nation will not be “complicit in something that is bad for the world simply out of fear of reprisals from someone.”

The decision to terminate the position of ambassador to Israel was announced on Tuesday. It was proposed by Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and backed by the Council of Ministers, the government said. The country’s mission will now be led by a charge d’affaires for the foreseeable ‌future, it added.

The now-former ambassador, Ana Maria Salomon Perez, was recalled to Spain last September amid a diplomatic row with Israel prompted by Madrid’s decision to ban ships and planes carrying weaponry to Israel to fuel its campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Israel denounced the ban as “anti-Semitic.” 

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Spain has repeatedly condemned West Jerusalem’s heavy-handed approach to the conflict, triggered by the October 2023 surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants, and has formally recognized the independence of the Palestinian state.

Madrid’s condemnation of the war against Iran has also strained relations with Washington. Spain said it would not allow the US to use joint military installations in the country for the attacks, angering US President Donald Trump – who threatened to cut off all trade with Spain over its stance, as well as its failure to meet NATO’s new defense spending target of 5% of GDP.

Despite the public threats, relations between the US and Spain remain “normal,” Albares told reporters on Tuesday, signaling that Washington has not taken any hostile steps against Madrid. 

“Our embassy in Washington is operating normally and has all the contacts it should have as usual,” he said, adding that the same applies to the US mission in Madrid.