Israel and Spain have maintained diplomatic ties since 1986. Israel has an embassy in Madrid. Spain has an embassy in Tel Aviv, and an honorary consulate in Haifa. There is also a General Consulate in Jerusalem, which serves as a diplomatic mission to the city of Jerusalem (including both West and East Jerusalem), Gaza and the territories of the West Bank.Consulado de España en Jerusalén , Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación de España In addition to both countries being member states of the United Nations, both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Relations deteriorated significantly during the Gaza war that began in October 2023, particularly amid Spain’s criticism of Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip and growing diplomatic disputes between the two governments. The Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, was among the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s conduct in the war and called for a ceasefire and expanded humanitarian access to Gaza. Tensions further escalated as Spain joined Ireland and Norway in recognizing the State of Palestine in 2024, prompting diplomatic protests from Israel.
History
20th century Spanish policy towards the Middle East was determined by the nature of the Francoist regime, and by post-World War II politics. Franco made some overtures towards Israel but short of recognizing the country, not least because the latter's government had no interest in being recognised by such a regime. This outright rejection from the newly created State of Israel towards the Francoist dictatorship was born out of domestic politics and ideological reasons. On 16 May 1949, speaking against a proposal made by several Latin American countries which favoured the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Spain, Israeli diplomat Abba Eban made a speech in which he said "For us, the central and inescapable point is the association of this regime with that Nazi-Fascist alliance which corroded the moral foundations of civilized life and inflicted upon the human race its most terrible and devastating ordeal. Of that coalition, the only surviving expression is the Spanish regime which welcomed, accepted, congratulated and upheld the prospect of Nazi supremacy in Europe and the world." In retort to this, the Francoist government sponsored the publication of a pamphlet, España y los Judíos (1949), which erroneously claimed that Franco had saved as many as 50,000 Jews from France and South-Eastern Europe during the Holocaust. In 1949, the State of Israel voted against lifting sanctions against Spain in the United Nations General Assembly due to the Francoist regime's sympathy and material support for the Axis Powers. The hostility between both countries paved the way for Spain's fostering of relations with the unaligned Arab nations (nurturing the narrative of the so-called "traditional Hispano-Arab friendship"), which helped Spain to overcome international isolation. A cornerstone of Arab-Spanish friendship was the non-recognition of Israel. In these years, several editions of the antisemitic libel of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion were published in Spain, finding positive reception as factual truth among the most extreme factions of the regime. Despite the lack of diplomatic ties, the Franco government aided in Jewish emigration from Morocco in the 1960s and, during the Six-Day War in 1967, issued laissez-passer documents to Egyptian Jews, enabling them to emigrate.
The pro-Arab views of the previous Francoist regime had created a stance that was very difficult to overcome even after the transition to democracy. The first Spanish government after Franco's death, headed by Adolfo Suárez, declared that it would not recognize Israel unless it withdrew from the West Bank and allowed the creation of a Palestinian state.
Following Suárez's resignation in 1981, the new president of the government of Spain,NB: President of the Government of Spain is the official English denomination Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, seemed inclined to inaugurate relations between Spain and Israel but this had to wait for the next government due to the pro-Arab stance of the foreign minister José Pedro Pérez-Llorca, who argued against recognition due to fears of an oil embargo as reprisal by Arab countries.
Nevertheless, small steps were taken towards rapprochement, including informal contacts by Samuel Hadas, the Israeli representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization based in Madrid. Hadas, a member of the Israeli Labor Party, was responsible for the creation of a Spanish Friends of Israel association and a dialogue group that included several Spanish Socialist Workers Party members of parliament, such as Enrique Múgica Herzog, as well as members of the ruling party, the UCD.
With a view to establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel, President of the Government Felipe González, who had been elected in 1982 on a Socialist platform three years earlier, sent a personal letter to secretary general of the Arab League, Chedli Klibi, on 25 April 1985, advising him of Spain's plans. Following Operation Wooden Leg, the Spanish Government issued a strong condemnation of the attack, putting a temporary hold to the recognition process. Further conversations with ambassadors from Arab states in Madrid followed in January of the next year, advising them of Spain's forthcoming plans. Spain and Israel established diplomatic relations on 17 January 1986. Samuel Hadas was named Israel Ambassador in Madrid. Spain had joined the European Economic Community on 1 January. Soon after, a representative office for the PLO opened in Madrid "as evidence of Spain traditional policy of friendship with the Palestinian people and as an instrument to achieve a lasting, just and global solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict".
On 2 December 1991, Felipe González became the first Spanish head of government to visit Israel, holding, among other things, a meeting with Israeli prime minister Yitzak Shamir which involved the discussion of the situation in the region, bilateral ties between the two nations and about the situation in Europe.
21st century In 2000, Spain lifted its veto on Israel's admission to the Western European Group of the United Nations, on a basis of permanent renewal of temporary full membership, ending Israel's administrative limbo, as its membership in the Asian Group had been withheld due to the large majority of Muslim countries in the Asian block opposing.
In October 2011, Spanish crown prince Felipe and his wife, Princess Letizia, arrived in Israel for a two-day state visit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and meet with local scientists.
October 7 attacks and the Gaza war
Following the October 7 Attacks by Hamas on Israel, Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences and condemnation of the attacks on Israel, saying Israel has the right to defend itself. He also called for the immediate release of the Israeli hostages. Jose Manuel Albares the Spanish Foreign Minister said he condemns the attacks tweeting: “We strongly condemn the very serious terrorist attacks from Gaza against Israel. “Overwhelmed by this indiscriminate violence. All our solidarity (is) with the victims".
In October 2023, during the Gaza war, Spanish Minister of Social Affairs Ione Belarra proclaimed that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be brought before the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes. Spain's Equality Minister, Irene Montero, echoed a similar appeal, citing a recent case involving a Spanish aid worker killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Montero emphasized that Israel's alleged violation of international criminal law and war crimes must face consequences.
This prompted the Israeli embassy in Madrid to accuse some of the members within the Spanish government of sympathizing or showing alignment with terrorist groups like ISIS. The Government of Spain issued a counter-communiqué stating that it "categorically" rejected "the falsehoods expressed in the communiqué of the Embassy of Israel about some of its members and does not accept unfounded insinuations about them". Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares also called Israeli ambassador Rodica Radian-Gordon, to show his "displeasure" and to tell her that those words were seen as an "unfriendly gesture".
Shortly before a visit to Israel and the West Bank in late November, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez informed parliament of his government's intention to collaborate within the European Union and Spain to acknowledge a Palestinian state. During the visit, Sánchez, following a meeting with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, jointly held a press conference at the Rafah border crossing with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, emphasizing the importance of Israel's adherence to international humanitarian law.
The two leaders issued a joint statement denouncing the "unacceptable" indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, asserting that it was time for the international community and the European Union (EU) to officially recognize the State of Palestine, and called for a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn region. Israel criticized both the prime ministers for not holding Hamas fully accountable for what they termed "crimes against humanity". Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen summoned the ambassadors of Belgium and Spain for a stern reprimand, denouncing what he described as "false claims" supporting terrorism.
Following the visit, Sánchez voiced serious doubts about Israel's adherence to international humanitarian law, referencing distressing footage and the increasing number of children casualties. In response to what Israel termed a "shameful statement" by Sanchez, the country recalled its envoy to Madrid.
Relations were further damaged in 2024 when Spain, announced their intent to recognize Palestine as an independent state by 28 May 2024, leading Israel to recall Radian-Gordon. Netanyahu denounced the move as support for terrorism.
Spanish second deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz ended a speech with the pro-Palestine lemma from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free on 24 May 2024. Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz took offence and proceeded to publish a political attack video on X, interspersing images of Hamas members and flamenco dancers, also pledging to block Palestinians' access to services from the (later threatening to outright close it should it continue providing services to Palestinians). Albares pointed out that the Consulate has existed since 1853, long before the founding of any State of Israel, and that upon the 1986 establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries, Israel agreed on the recognition and commitment to respecting the "historical status of the Consulate General". Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles deemed what was happening in Gaza to be a "true genocide".
Spain's foreign minister said in January 2024 that arms sales to Israel were now embargoed. However, on Monday, online newspaper eldiario.es reported that Spain had exported ammunition to Israel in November. Spain's Secretary of State for Trade explained that the "material was for tests or demonstrations" and "corresponds to licences granted before 7 October".
In May 2024, Spain refused permission for a ship carrying arms to Israel to dock at a Spanish port. On the same month, Vox leader Santiago Abascal met Benjamin Netanyahu amid Spanish Government recognition of Palestine.