MADRID

A group of prominent Spanish artists, including Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodovar, have urged the Spanish government to cut all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel amid ongoing genocidal conduct in Gaza.

The campaign, launched on social media under the banner “Artistas con Palestina” (Artists with Palestine), has attracted widespread support from the Spanish cultural community.

Almodovar, posting via the Instagram account of his production company El Deseo, said: "I urge our government to condemn the state of Israel, which is committing genocide against the people of Gaza in front of the eyes of the entire world, and to sever all diplomatic, commercial, and any other type of relations with it."

He also called on Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to persuade European allies to join the initiative.

The movement seeks to mobilize citizens to pressure politicians into taking action against Israel’s genocidal attacks in Gaza.

Other well-known Spanish figures supporting the campaign include actors Luis Tosar, Adriana Ugarte, Luis Zahera, Juan Diego Botto, Carlos Bardem, Sara Salamo, Ana Wagener, Marta Nieto, Miguel Rios, Raul Prieto, Nerea Barros, Joaquin Reyes, and Paula Malia.

The artists also demanded stronger measures in response to reports of sexual abuse, torture, killings, and starvation of children in Gaza.

As the next step, Artistas con Palestina has said it will bring its demand to sever all ties with Israel before the Spanish parliament.

Israel has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. Israel’s full blockade of the Palestinian enclave, in place since early March, has created catastrophic conditions for the enclave’s 2.4 million residents, leading to famine, widespread disease, and the collapse of essential services.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.