Overview
- Israel's foreign ministry reprimanded Spain's top diplomat in Israel after a Netanyahu effigy was blown up with 14kg of gunpowder near Malaga in a town festival that local officials call a long‑running tradition.
- Officials in Jerusalem called the display antisemitic and blamed what they described as government incitement by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
- Madrid rejected the charge and said it is committed to fighting antisemitism and any form of hate.
- Israel has barred Spain from the civil‑military coordination center in Kiryat Gat, a U.S.-backed hub for Gaza ceasefire and aid logistics, which narrows a channel for allied coordination.
- The dispute builds on months of friction over Gaza policy, with Israeli and Spanish leaders trading public rebukes since 2023.