Senhan Bolelli
23 April 2025•Update: 23 April 2025
MADRID
Spain’s decision to proceed with the purchase of 15.3 million rounds of ammunition from an Israeli company has triggered a crisis within the country’s left-wing coalition government.
Despite the government claiming that military trade with Israel has been halted since the start of the war in Gaza, Spanish media outlet Cadena Ser reported Wednesday that Spain’s Guardia Civil police force purchased the pistol rounds for €6.6 million (about $7.53 million).
Last October, the ammunition contract already made headlines, and government officials vowed it would be canceled.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska, from the Socialist Party, reportedly sought to halt the purchase, but the Public Attorney’s Office advised that cancelation could lead to significant penalties, prompting the ministry to proceed with the acquisition.
Crisis among coalition partners
The decision has sparked a political crisis between the Socialist Party and the far-left Sumar alliance, which form Spain’s minority coalition government.
“We demand that Marlaska immediately rectify this situation and clarify the matter in the parliament. It is a clear violation of the agreements within the government, especially at a time when the Palestinian people are facing genocide,” Yolanda Diaz, Deputy Prime Minister and head of Sumar, told reporters in Barcelona Wednesday.
“The United Left will never tolerate any political party financing the genocide in Gaza. The Socialists have created the biggest crisis since we joined the government in 2023,” said Antonio Maillo, general coordinator of the United Left, which forms part of the Sumar alliance.
Spanish media reported that two other suppliers—one Italian and one Brazilian—also submitted bids for the ammunition tender, but their offers were rejected by the Guardia Civil’s procurement department.
