Israel has issued a diplomatic reprimand to Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv following the detonation of a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Spanish town this week.
The seven-metre (23-foot) figure, packed with 14 kilograms (31 lb) of gunpowder, was part of a decades-old ceremony held on 5 April in El Burgo, a small town near the southern city of Malaga.
Mayor Maria Dolores Narvaez told local television that the annual event has previously featured effigies of figures such as Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, stating on X: “The appalling antisemitic hatred on display here is a direct result of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government’s systemic incitement.” The statement included a video clip of the event.
In response, a Spanish Foreign Ministry source asserted: “The Spanish government is committed to fighting against antisemitism and any form of hate or discrimination. As such we totally reject any insidious allegation which suggests the contrary.”
The incident further escalates a long-running diplomatic dispute between Spain and Israel, which began over the Gaza conflict.
Spain has been an outspoken critic of US and Israeli military campaigns in the region, despite warnings from the US regarding uncooperative Nato allies. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar previously labelled a Spanish ban on aircraft and ships carrying weapons to Israel as antisemitic.
Conversely, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares accused Israel of violating international law and a two-week ceasefire following a wave of airstrikes across Lebanon this week.
Mr Netanyahu countered on Wednesday that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire and that Israel’s military would continue to strike Hezbollah.
Mr Sanchez, a prominent opponent of the Iran conflict, has closed Spanish airspace to any aircraft involved in what he has described as a reckless and illegal confrontation.