The Spanish government has cancelled a €6.6 million munitions purchase from an Israeli firm, following an outcry within the government that had threatened to destabilise the left-wing coalition.
A source said that the administration had “decided to unilaterally terminate the ammunition purchase contract with the Israeli company IMI Systems”.
The contract was for 15 million rounds of 9mm ammunition for the civil guard police force and was signed last October.
Sumar, an alliance of parties to the left of prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialists and which has five government ministers, raised objections to the purchase.
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It cited a previous decision by the Madrid government not to buy weapons from Israel on the grounds that its response to the Hamas-led attack of October 2023 had been disproportionate and violated international law.
The interior ministry, which oversees the civil guard, initially agreed, saying the government “maintains the commitment not to buy weapons from the Israeli state since the armed conflict in the Gaza territory erupted”.
However, this week, citing the advice of the state attorney’s office, the ministry issued a statement saying that cancelling the contract was not possible as it would mean paying the full amount of the purchase without receiving the munitions.
This drew an immediate backlash from senior figures within the coalition.
Deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz, who heads Sumar, described it as “the blatant breaking of agreements when we are witnessing live the genocide of the Palestinian people”. She demanded a U-turn by interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and his appearance in parliament to explain the decision.
The United Left (IU) party, which is part of the Sumar alliance, warned that the ammunition contract had created a government crisis. Enrique Santiago, of the IU, said the party was “considering all options”, suggesting that its withdrawal from the coalition was a possibility.
With concerns mounting about the coalition’s stability, the government has changed tack again by cancelling the contract.
This episode followed similar misgivings among Mr Sánchez’s coalition partners over his recent decision to boost Spain’s defence spending by €10.5 billion this year in order to reach 2 per cent of GDP. Spain is at the bottom of Nato’s defence spending.
A government source said the administration was “firmly committed to the Palestinian cause and to peace in the Middle East. For this reason, since October 7th, 2023, Spain has neither bought from nor sold weaponry to Israeli companies – and will not do so in the future”.
Mr Sánchez’s government has been outspoken in its criticism of Israel. Last year, in co-ordination with Ireland and Norway, it recognised the Palestinian state, drawing an angry response from Tel Aviv.
