Spain cancels arms contract with Israeli company

The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it had decided to cancel a €6.8 million arms deal with an Israeli company, a contract that had sparked significant tension within the left-wing coalition in power. Sources within the government revealed that both the Socialist Party, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and their radical left ally, Sumar, are firmly committed to the Palestinian cause. For this reason, Spain has refrained from buying or selling arms to Israeli companies since October 7, 2023, and will continue to do so in the future.

October 7 marked an unprecedented attack in Israeli territory by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, resulting in 1,218 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians, according to AFP’s tally based on official data. This attack led to Israeli military reprisals in Gaza, which have claimed over 51,000 Palestinian lives to date, the majority of whom were civilians, according to Hamas's Health Ministry, though the number of fighters is not specified.

In October, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior had awarded a €6.8 million contract to the Israeli company “Guardian Defense and Homeland Security S.A.” for the purchase of 9mm ammunition for various units of the Civil Guard. However, this deal contradicted Madrid’s commitment to avoid any arms contracts with Israel, whether purchases or sales.

The Spanish government, which officially recognized the State of Palestine in May, has made supporting the Palestinian cause a cornerstone of its foreign policy and has maintained strained relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The announcement of the arms deal triggered anger within Sumar, leading the Ministry of the Interior to initiate steps to cancel it. However, a legal review concluded otherwise, as government sources told AFP that the Ministry was forced to follow the advice of the State's legal services, which discouraged cancellation due to the advanced stage of the procedure and the risk of financial losses. Cancelling the contract would have required Spain to pay the Israeli company without receiving the promised supplies.

The contract, approved by the Ministry of the Interior, was published on the public service contract platform during the Easter Friday holiday, at the height of Holy Week, when most of Spain was on vacation. The supplier was set to be the Israeli company IMI Systems Ltd., represented by Guardian Defense and Homeland Security S.A.

The news immediately caused another outcry within the radical left, with the main leader, Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz, the government’s second vice president, once again calling for an immediate cancellation of the contract. After exhausting all negotiation options, the Spanish government decided unilaterally to cancel the purchase of ammunition from the Israeli company IMI Systems.