Spain blocks US arms to Israel, condemns ‘complicity in Israel’s genocide in Palestine’

While Israeli protests were prevented at Ambarlı Port, the Spanish government banned two ships thought to be carrying weapons and military supplies to Israel from stopping at its ports.

The government took action after Enrique Santiago, a member of parliament from the Sumar alliance and leader of the United Left (IU) party, the junior partner in Spain’s minority government, filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor’s office on November 5.

The government did not allow two ships, believed to be loaded with weapons and military equipment to be delivered to Israel and departing from the US port in New York, to anchor in Spanish ports.

According to Webangah, The news reported in the Spanish press was confirmed by Foreign Ministry sources. The news reported that the ships named “Maersk Denver” and “Maersk Seletar” departed from New York on October 31 and November 4 and requested anchorage in the Algeciras port in southern Spain on October 9 and 15.

Also, Ministry of Interior of Spain, Jari announced that he plans to withdraw from the contract he made with a company affiliated with Israel for the purchase of ammunition.

The news reported that Spanish government officials said, “These ships will not stop in Spain.”

Spain maintains that the sale of arms and military equipment to Israel has been halted since October 7, 2023, when Israel’s attacks on Palestine began.

On the other hand, IU leader Santiago stated in his criminal complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office that, according to the report submitted by the organizations “Progressive International” and “Palestinian Youth Movement”, at least 1,185 ships departing from the US and carrying weapons and military equipment to Israel passed through Spanish waters in the last year.

Santiago said that sending weapons and military equipment to Israel and allowing them to pass through was complicity in Israel’s genocide in Palestine and violated agreements to eliminate any cooperation in arms transfers to Israel, and announced that he had submitted a written parliamentary question on the subject for Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares to answer.

A protest by a pro-Palestinian group against Israeli ZIM containers at Ambarlı Port, saying “Close the ports to genocide”, was prevented with a harsh intervention. A clash broke out between the protesters, who said that there would be no passage for Israel in Turkish ports, and security officers, and security officers fired into the air to prevent the action.