Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday said he has imposed an arms embargo on Israel, describing the move as part of efforts to “end the genocide in Gaza.”
The decision, which takes immediate effect, is among nine measures unveiled by Madrid.
They also include a travel ban targeting individuals allegedly linked to what Sánchez termed a “massacre.”
”Spain will be on the right side of history,” said Sánchez, who has been one of the most outspoken national leaders in his criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Other steps include increased humanitarian aid for Gaza, additional funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and a ban on the import of products from Israeli settlements.
The aim is to support the Palestinian population but also to ensure that those responsible for the attacks on the civilian population are prosecuted.
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Regarding the formal accusation of genocide, Sánchez said, “This is no longer a defence, it is not even an attack, it is the extermination of a defenceless people.”
He criticised what he described as the “indifference” and “complicity” of the international community.
The United Nations defines genocide as “acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
South Africa has filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the accusation of violating the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip.
Israel rejects the accusation of genocide against the Palestinians and accuses the Hamas terrorist organisation of systematically abusing the civilian population as human shields.