Spain cancels Israeli ammunition deal amid pressure from coalition partner

GENEVA

Spain's government on Thursday moved to cancel a controversial arms contract with an Israeli company following mounting pressure from its left-wing coalition partner, the Sumar party.

“You cannot do business with those who violate international law while they massacre the Palestinian people,” Sumar posted on the social network Bluesky, taking credit for the government’s reversal.

“We did it after demanding it firmly: for coherence, for justice, for Palestine,” the party added.

The contract, worth more than €6 million ($6.8 million), involved the purchase of over 15 million 9mm bullets for the Guardia Civil from Guardian Homeland Security S.A., a subsidiary of Israel's IMI Systems, according to Spanish daily El Diario.

The deal was formalized in Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE) earlier this week, despite previous government pledges to cancel it.

The news of the deal sparked tensions within the coalition government, with junior partner Sumar calling it a "flagrant breach" of the governing agreement on Wednesday.

The party contended that the contract contradicted Spain's foreign policy stance, which included a pledge to suspend arms trade with Israel and vocal support for Palestinian rights.

Government sources told Spanish media that Thursday’s decision to rescind the contract was made “for reasons of general interest” after “exhausting all negotiation channels.”

Spain’s government has repeatedly claimed that it has not bought or sold weapons to Israeli companies since October 2023, when Israel launched its latest offensive in Gaza.

However, El Diario reported on Thursday that Spain has awarded or formalized 40 arms procurement contracts with Israeli companies since October 2023, including the deal now reportedly being scrapped.

Sumar has yet to comment on the latest report.