Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks at a press conference in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, China, Sept. 11, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Xihao Jiang

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez intensified his anti-Israel rhetoric by claiming Spain cannot intervene in the war in Gaza because it lacks nuclear weapons — a statement that drew sharp criticism from his own government, with officials warning it could fuel hostility and legitimize violence.

“Spain, as you know, doesn’t have nuclear bombs, nor aircraft carriers, nor large oil reserves,” Sánchez said during a press conference on Monday.

“We alone can’t stop the Israeli offensive,” the Spanish leader continued. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t stop trying, because there are causes that are worth fighting for, even if winning them isn’t in our sole power.”

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez:

Spain does not have nuclear bombs, aircraft carriers or large oil reserves.

We alone cannot stop the Israeli offensive. But that doesn’t mean we are going to stop trying.

Because there are causes that are worth fighting for, even if… pic.twitter.com/sVZaCPie9m

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 11, 2025

Earlier this week, Sánchez unveiled new policies targeting Israel over the war in Gaza, including an arms embargo and a ban on certain Israeli goods, arguing that such measures are intended to “stop the genocide, pursue its perpetrators, and support the Palestinian population.”

The Spanish government also announced it would bar entry to individuals involved in what it called a “genocide against Palestinians,” later identifying far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as the officials prohibited from entering the country.

Sánchez also barred Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from Spanish ports and airspace, and enforced an embargo on products from Israeli communities in the West Bank.

The leader of the far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, condemned Sánchez’s remarks, accusing him of siding with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and failing to protect Spanish citizens.

“Sánchez would like to have nuclear weapons … but not to defend Spain. To defend Hamas. And probably Maduro as well,” Abascal wrote in a post on X, referring to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who much of the world regards as an illegitimate president. “Cornered tyrants always end up losing their minds.”

Sánchez quisiera tener armas nucleares … pero no para defender España. Para defender a Hamas. Y seguramente a Maduro. Los tiranos acorralados siempre acaban enloqueciendo.

Es capaz de aliarse con Hamas para tapar que su mujer, imputada por robar, declara ante el juez esta misma… https://t.co/TajcRYEILB pic.twitter.com/xRXyHOjhlA

— Santiago Abascal 🇪🇸 (@Santi_ABASCAL) September 8, 2025

The Spanish center-right Popular Party also criticized Sánchez’s comments, asking, “A nuclear bomb on Tel Aviv? Is that what he intends to do?”

Shortly after Sánchez unveiled the new measures targeting Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused him of antisemitism, leading Spain to recall its ambassador from Israel.

In a post on X, Saar condemned the Spanish government for pursuing an escalating anti-Israel campaign aimed at undermining the Jewish state on the international stage.

“The government of Spain is leading a hostile, anti-Israel line, marked by wild, hate-filled rhetoric,” the top Israeli diplomat wrote, accusing Sánchez’s “corrupt” administration of trying to “divert attention from grave corruption scandals.”

Saar also announced sanctions against two Spanish ministers, imposing an entry and contact ban on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Yolanda Díaz and Minister of Children and Youth Sira Rego.

He accused both ministers of promoting antisemitic rhetoric, citing multiple examples of statements calling for Israel’s destruction and endorsing violence against Israeli citizens in the aftermath of the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, Spain has become one of Jerusalem’s fiercest critics, a stance that has only intensified in recent months.

In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 atrocities, Spain halted arms shipments from its own defense companies to Israel and launched a diplomatic campaign to curb the country’s military response.

Last year, Spain officially recognized a Palestinian state, claiming the move was accelerated by the Israel-Hamas war and would help foster peace in the region. However, Israeli officials described the decision as a “reward for terrorism.”