Israel’s foreign minister has accused the Spanish prime minister of being an anti-Semite.
Gideon Saar made the comment on Monday after Pedro Sanchez reiterated his call to exclude Israeli teams from international sporting competitions, just as Russia was banned after its invasion of Ukraine.
In a post published on social media in both English and Spanish, Saar wrote: ‘Antisemite and liar. Did Israel invade Gaza on October 7, or was it the terrorist state of Hamas that invaded Israel and committed the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust?
‘Sanchez and his communist government are antisemites and enemies of the truth.’
A growing diplomatic rift
The remarks mark an escalation in already tense relations between Madrid and Tel Aviv.
Sanchez has become one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and has repeatedly urged EU institutions and international bodies to sanction the country.
In May, the Spanish leader publicly called for Israel to be excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest, drawing a direct comparison with Russia’s suspension from international competitions following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
More recently, his government has argued that Israeli sports teams should face similar bans until the conflict ends.
