Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez cancelled a multimillion-dollar arms deal recently to buy munitions from Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms manufacturer. He cancelled the deal after Sumar, part of a coalition of left-wing governing parties in Spain, threatened to leave the coalition. 

“After exhausting all routes for negotiation, the prime minister, deputy prime minister and ministries involved have decided to rescind this contract,” a government source told Al Jazeera.” (The Cradle, April 25)

This view is consistent with Sanchez’s pledge in February 2024 not to engage in arms trade with Israel. 

The article, however, goes on to state that despite the report from the Spanish government, the Palestine Youth Movement and the American Friends Service Committee revealed that over 60,000 weapon parts have been transported to Israel via Zaragoza airport in northern Spain since October 2023. 

The Intercept reported, “Washington sent over a thousand tons of ammunition to Israel on a ship that docked at a U.S. naval base in Spain, despite Madrid’s embargo on vessels carrying military cargo bound for Israel.” (December, 2024) 

“Shipments through American military bases in Spain of military materials, which may be used in the commission of international crimes, are harder to detect,” said Spanish lawmaker Enrique Santiago. (The Cradle)

So, while this recent arms deal with Israel selling weapons to Spain was cancelled, the transport of ammunition to Israel via a U.S. base on Spanish territory has been going on regularly since 2023.