Spanish-Israeli Ammunition Deal Sparks Uproar Within Ruling Coalition
Leftist Sumar Alliance Demands Cancellation Over Alleged Israeli War Crimes in Gaza.
Watan-A decision by Spain’s Interior Ministry to proceed with an ammunition purchase contract from an Israeli company has sparked tensions within the country’s left-wing ruling coalition.
In October 2024, the ministry announced it was initiating procedures to cancel a €6.8 million contract awarded in February 2024 to the Israeli defense and internal security company “Guardian” for the supply of 9mm ammunition for various units of Spain’s Civil Guard. Guardian represents Israel’s IMI Systems Ltd.
The deal contradicts the Spanish government’s pledge under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez not to engage in arms transactions with Israel—neither purchases nor sales—following the war on Gaza, which began after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The contract provoked outrage from the leftist Sumar coalition, which partners with Sánchez’s Socialist Party in the ruling government. The Interior Ministry said it had begun the process of canceling the deal.
Legal Hurdles Delay Spanish-Israeli Ammo Deal Cancellation Amid Outcry
However, sources within the ministry revealed on Wednesday that legal advisors recommended against cancellation due to the advanced stage of the process and to avoid financial losses. “Canceling would have required paying the Israeli company without receiving the equipment,” they explained.
The deal was exposed by Cadena SER radio, which published the contract on Good Friday, prompting further anger from the left.
Sumar emphasized in a statement that “The Spanish government’s commitment to the Palestinian people must be absolute” and renewed its call for the “immediate cancellation of the contract.”
Enrique Santiago, Secretary-General of the Spanish Communist Party and a Sumar MP, stated during a press conference: “Not six million euros, not even six billion euros can justify Spain risking complicity in genocide” in Gaza.
He added that “The two Israeli companies openly showcase on their social media platforms their involvement in war crimes, genocide, and ethnic cleansing, and proudly advertise their role.”
Israel’s war on Gaza has turned the strip into rubble, triggering a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and causing at least 51,305 deaths—mostly civilians—according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
