Spain has cancelled a €6.6 million ($7.5 million) contract for millions of bullets from Israeli arms manufacturer, IMI Systems, following backlash from junior members of the governing coalition who condemned the deal as a violation of the country’s pro-Palestinian stance and coalition agreement, reports the Middle East Monitor.
Asper the Guardian, Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has questioned whether Israeli military actions comply with international humanitarian law, describing the rising Palestinian death toll as “truly unbearable”.
His government has also officially recognised a Palestinian State and pledged not to engage in arms trade with Israel since the war in Gaza began on 7 October, 2023.
Despite this, Spain’s Interior Ministry had pushed to proceed with the purchase of 15.3 million rounds of 9mm ammunition for the Guardia Civil, claiming that the contract was too advanced and costly to cancel, and essential for law enforcement operations.
The decision sparked outrage from the Sumar coalition, led by Labour Minister, Yolanda Díaz, with members denouncing any deal with a “genocidal state”.
The move intensified existing tensions between Sánchez’s Socialist Party and Sumar, who have also opposed the government’s proposed €10.5 billion increase in military spending to meet NATO obligations.
By April 24, government offices representing both Sánchez and Díaz announced that the contract would be terminated and the import licence denied.