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Israel and Spain have maintained diplomatic ties since 1986. Israel has an embassy in Madrid. Spain has an embassy in Tel Aviv, and an honorary consulate in Haifa. There is also a General Consulate in Jerusalem, which serves as a diplomatic mission to the city of Jerusalem (including both West and East Jerusalem), Gaza and the territories of the West Bank. [1] In addition to both countries being member states of the United Nations, both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Spanish policy towards the Middle East was determined by the nature of the Francoist regime, and by post-World War II politics. [2] Franco made some overtures towards Israel but short of recognizing the country, not least because the latter's government had no interest in being recognised by such a regime. [3] This outright rejection from the newly created State of Israel towards the Francoist dictatorship was born out of domestic politics and ideological reasons. [4] In 1949, the State of Israel voted against lifting sanctions against Spain in the United Nations General Assembly due to the Francoist regime's sympathy and material support for the Axis Powers. [5] The hostility between both countries paved the way for Spain's fostering of relations with the unaligned Arab nations [6] (nurturing the narrative of the so-called "traditional Hispano-Arab friendship"), [7] which helped Spain to overcome international isolation. A cornerstone of Arab-Spanish friendship was the non-recognition of Israel. [5] In these years, several editions of the antisemitic libel of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion were published in Spain, finding positive reception as factual truth among the most extreme factions of the regime. [8] Despite the lack of diplomatic ties, the Franco government aided in Jewish emigration from Morocco in the 1960s and, during the Six-Day War in 1967, issued laissez-passer documents to Egyptian Jews, enabling them to emigrate. [9]
The pro-Arab views of the previous Francoist regime had created a stance that was very difficult to overcome even after the transition to democracy. [10] The first Spanish government after Franco's death, headed by Adolfo Suárez, declared that it would not recognize Israel unless it withdrew from the West Bank and allowed the creation of a Palestinian state. [11]
Following Suárez's resignation in 1981, the new President of the Government of Spain, [12] Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, seemed inclined to inaugurate relations between Spain and Israel but this had to wait for the next government due to the pro-Arab stance of the Foreign Minister José Pedro Pérez-Llorca, who argued against recognition due to fears of an oil embargo as reprisal by Arab countries. [13] [14]
Nevertheless, small steps were taken towards rapprochement, including informal contacts by Samuel Hadas, the Israeli representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization based in Madrid. Hadas, a member of the Israeli Labor Party, was responsible for the creation of a Spanish Friends of Israel association and a dialogue group that included several Spanish Socialist Workers Party members of parliament, such as Enrique Múgica Herzog, as well as members of the ruling party, UCD. [15]
With a view to establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel, President of the Government Felipe González, who had been elected in 1982 on a Socialist platform three years earlier, sent a personal letter to secretary general of the Arab League, Chedli Klibi, on 25 April 1985, advising him of Spain's plans. [16] Following Operation Wooden Leg, the Spanish Government issued a strong condemnation of the attack, putting a temporary hold to the recognition process. Further conversations with ambassadors from Arab states in Madrid followed in January of the next year, advising them of Spain's forthcoming plans. Spain and Israel established diplomatic relations on 17 January 1986. [17] Samuel Hadas was named Israel Ambassador in Madrid. [18] Spain had joined the European Economic Community on 1 January. Soon after, a representative office for the PLO opened in Madrid "as evidence of Spain traditional policy of friendship with the Palestinian people and as an instrument to achieve a lasting, just and global solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict". [19] [20]
On December 2, 1991, Felipe González became the first Spanish head of state to visit Israel, holding, among other things, a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Shamir which involved the discussion of the situation in the region, bilateral ties between the two nations and about the situation in Europe. [21] Upon arriving in Israel, Gonz In 2000, Spain lifted its veto on Israel's admission to the Western European Group of the United Nations, on a basis of permanent renewal of temporary full membership, ending Israel's administrative limbo, as its membership in the Asian Group had been withheld due to the large majority of Muslim countries in the Asian block opposing. [22]
In October 2011, Spanish Crown Prince Felipe and his wife, Princess Letizia, arrived in Israel for a two-day state visit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and meet with local scientists. [23]
In October 2023, during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Spanish Minister of Social Affairs Ione Belarra proclaimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be brought before the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes. [24] Spain's Equality Minister, Irene Montero, echoed a similar appeal, citing a recent case involving a Spanish aid worker killed in the Russia-Ukraine Conflict. Montero emphasized that Israel's alleged violation of international criminal law and war crimes must face consequences. [25]
This prompted the Israeli embassy in Madrid to accuse some of the members within the Spanish government of sympathizing or showing alignment with terrorist groups like ISIS. [25] The Government of Spain issued a counter-communiqué stating that it "categorically" rejected "the falsehoods expressed in the communiqué of the Embassy of Israel about some of its members and does not accept unfounded insinuations about them". [26] [27] Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares also called Israeli ambassador Rodica Radian-Gordon, to show his "displeasure" and to tell her that those words were seen as an "unfriendly gesture". [28]
Shortly before a visit to Israel and the West Bank in late November, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez informed parliament of his government's intention to collaborate within the European Union and Spain to acknowledge a Palestinian state. [29] During the visit, Sánchez, following a meeting with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, jointly held a press conference at the Rafah border crossing with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, emphasizing the importance of Israel's adherence to international humanitarian law. [30]
The two leaders issued a joint statement denouncing the "unacceptable" indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, asserting that it was time for the international community and the European Union (EU) to officially recognize the state of Palestine, and called for a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn region. [31] Israel criticized both the prime ministers for not holding Hamas fully accountable for what they termed "crimes against humanity". Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen summoned the ambassadors of Belgium and Spain for a stern reprimand, denouncing what he described as "false claims" supporting terrorism. [32]
Following the visit, Sánchez voiced serious doubts about Israel's adherence to international humanitarian law, referencing distressing footage and the increasing number of children casualties. [33] [34] In response to what Israel termed a "shameful statement" by Sanchez, the country recalled its envoy to Madrid. [35] [36]
Relations were further injured in 2024 when Spain, announced their intent to recognize Palestine as an independent state by 28 May 2024, leading Israel to recall Radian-Gordon. Netanyahu denounced the move as support for terrorism. [37]
Spanish second deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz ended a speech with the pro-Palestine lemma from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free on 24 May 2024. [38] [39] Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz took offence and proceeded to publish a political attack video on X, interspersing images of Hamas members and flamenco dancers, also pledging to block Palestinians' access to services from the Spanish Consulate in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem (later threatening to outright close it shall it continue providing services to Palestinians). [40] [41] [42] Albares pointed out that the Consulate has existed since 1853, long before the founding of any State of Israel, and that upon the 1986 establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries, Israel agreed on the recognition and commitment to respecting the "historical status of the Consulate General". [43] Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles deemed what was happening in Gaza to be a "true genocide". [44]
Spain's foreign minister said in January 2024 that arms sales to Israel were now embargoed. However, on Monday, online newspaper eldiario.es reported that Spain had exported ammunition to Israel in November. Spain's Secretary of State for Trade explained that the "material was for tests or demonstrations" and "corresponds to licences granted before 7 October". [45]
In May 2024, Spain refused permission for a ship carrying arms to Israel to dock at a Spanish port. [46]
Many Israelis are Sephardi Jews, culturally associated with the Iberian Peninsula from where Jews were expelled in the late-fifteenth century. Many Israelis are also of Spanish and Portuguese Jewish extraction from before the expulsion of Jews from the Iberian peninsula. Some Israelis live in Spain today, and there is also a small contemporary Spanish Jewish community. Many Spanish people are also of converso or marrano origin, with a recent study estimating the figure to be as high as 20%. [47] An Israeli newspaper, Maariv, noted that José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has said that his family is of Jewish descent, probably from a family of Marranos. [48]
In honor of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic and cultural relations between Spain and Israel, the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid loaned a painting by El Greco to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. A special evening was held in the presence of Yitzhak Navon, the fifth President of the State of Israel and Alvaro Iranzo Gutierrez, ambassador of Spain in Israel. [49]
Spanish apparel retailer Zara opened their first store in 1997 in Tel Aviv. As of 2020, Zara has 25 branches in the country.
In 2010, bilateral trade totalled 1.69 billion euros, with 853 million euros of Israeli exports to Spain and 836 million euros of Spanish imports to Israel. José Ranero, the economic and commercial advisor at the Spanish Embassy, said he looked forward to more joint projects, especially in technology. [23]
The foreign relations of Jordan have been consistently a pro-Western foreign policy.
Ensuring national security, increasing influence among its Arab neighbours and securing the return of the Golan Heights, have been the primary goals of the Syrian Arab Republic's foreign policy. At many points in its history, Syria has seen tension with its neighbours, such as Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. Syria enjoyed an improvement in relations with several of the states in its region in the 21st century, prior to the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War.
Israel–New Zealand relations are the foreign relations between the State of Israel and New Zealand. While Israel has an embassy in Wellington, New Zealand's embassy in Ankara, Turkey is accredited to Israel. Diplomatic relations between the two countries date back to January 1949. New Zealand has exported a mixture of agricultural and manufactured goods to Israel. In return, Israel has exported a range of manufactured goods to New Zealand. Bilateral relations between the two countries have been complicated by issues such as the 2004 Israel–New Zealand passport scandal, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Canada and Israel share bilateral diplomatic, commercial, and cultural ties. Canada recognised Israel on 11 May 1949, three days before the first anniversary of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, and currently maintains an embassy in Tel Aviv; Israel maintains an embassy in Ottawa, at 50 O'Connor Street, and regional consulates in Montreal and Toronto.
Argentina–Spain relations are the bilateral relations between the Argentine Republic and the Kingdom of Spain. Since a great portion of the immigrants to Argentina before the mid-19th century were of Spanish descent, the large majority of Argentines are at least partly of Spanish ancestry. Also, a significant part of the late-19th century/early-20th century immigrants to Argentina were Spaniards. Both nations are members of the Organization of Ibero-American States and the United Nations.
Belgium–Israel relations are the bilateral relations between Belgium and Israel. Belgium voted in favor of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947 and recognized the State of Israel on January 15, 1950. Belgium has an embassy in Tel Aviv, and Israel has an embassy in Brussels.
Israel–Romania relations are foreign relations between Israel and Romania. The two nations established diplomatic relations on 11 June 1948. Israel has an embassy in Bucharest. Romania has an embassy in Tel Aviv and a general consulate in Haifa, and 2 honorary consulates. The two have signed treaties and agreements and both are full members of the Union for the Mediterranean.
China–Palestine relations, also referred to as Sino–Palestinian relations, encompass the long bilateral relationship between China and Palestine dating back from the early years of the Cold War.
Relations between Argentina and Israel began shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, with the countries establishing diplomatic relations on 31 May 1949.
Political relations between the State of Palestine and the United States have been complex and strained since the 1960s. While the U.S. does not recognize the State of Palestine, it recognizes the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate representative entity for the Palestinian people; following the Oslo Accords, it recognized the Palestinian National Authority as the legitimate Palestinian government of the Palestinian territories.
As of June 2024, the State of Palestine is recognized as a sovereign state by 145 of the 193 member states of the United Nations, or just over 75% of all UN members. It has been a non-member observer state of the United Nations General Assembly since November 2012. This limited status is largely due to the fact that the United States, a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto power, has consistently used its veto or threatened to do so to block Palestine's full UN membership.
Mexico–Palestine relations are the diplomatic relations between the United Mexican States and the State of Palestine. Both nations are members of UNESCO.
Slovenia–Spain relations are the bilateral relations between Slovenia and Spain. Slovenia has an embassy in Madrid and three consulates in Barcelona, San Sebastián and Seville. Spain has an embassy in Ljubljana. The Spanish representation in Slovenia is exercised through the Embassy, which has the support of two Aggregators: Defense and Interior; two departments: Tourism and Economy and Commerce, all of them with residence in surrounding countries, although the Economic and Commercial Office has an Antenna in Ljubljana. There is a Cervantes Classroom under the Instituto Cervantes of Vienna. The relations of these two countries are mainly defined by their membership in both the European Union and the NATO.
Palestine–Spain relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations between these two countries. Palestine has an embassy in Madrid. Spain has a consulate general in East Jerusalem that serves the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem.
Libya–Spain relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations between these two countries. Libya has an embassy in Madrid, and Spain has one in Tripoli.
Senegal–Spain relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations between these two countries. Senegal has an embassy in Madrid. Spain has an embassy in Dakar.
José Manuel Albares Bueno is a Spanish diplomat who has been serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez since 2021.