Spanish Parliament Approves “Israel” Arms Ban

By Staff, Agencies

The Spanish parliament on Wednesday approved Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's arms embargo on "Israel".

The parliament backed the decree announced in September by Sanchez with 178 votes for to 169 against.

Spain’s socialist prime minister banned buying or selling weapons to "Israel" shortly after "Israel's" assault on Gaza began following October 7.

A growing chorus of historians, legal experts and scholars has labelled "Israel's" war a genocide.

Sanchez has become one of the most virulent critics among world leaders of "Israel's" devastating two-year-old war in the Palestinian territory.

In September, he announced a decree to "consolidate in law" the embargo he imposed as part of a series of measures against "Israel's" genocide.

October 7, 2023 has ended up becoming an indiscriminate attack against the Palestinian population that the majority of experts have called genocide," reads the preamble of the law.

It bans all exports of defense equipment, products or technology to "Israel" and imports of such goods from the country.

The decree also outlaws the transit of aviation fuel with potential military use and bans the advertising of products "coming from illegal colonies in Gaza and the West Bank".

The text allows the government to make exceptions for dual-use military equipment, "if the application of the ban harmed general national interests".

Spain’s leftwing Podemos party, despite initially criticizing the arms embargo for not going far enough, joined Sanchez’s leftist coalition in approving it. Meanwhile, Sanchez condemned the international community for its “indifference” and “complicity” with Netanyahu amid "Israel’s" ongoing genocide.

Spain was one of the first European countries to recognize the state of Palestine last year.

Several other major Western countries, including Canada, the UK and France, took the step last month.