Despite government pledges to suspend arms purchases from Israel, Spain has awarded or formalised 40 arms procurement contracts with Israeli companies since October 2023, Spanish daily El Diario reported Thursday.
The news comes a day after Spanish media reported that Spanish police bought €6.6 million ($7.5 million) worth of bullets from an Israeli company, despite the government’s vow to cancel that specific contract.
The purchase sparked a rift in Spain’s left-wing coalition government, with junior coalition partner Sumar calling it a “flagrant breach” of government commitments and demanding “immediate rectification” of the deal.
However, El Diario, citing a forthcoming report from the Delas Center for Peace Studies, said that contract is just the tip of the iceberg.
The report said Spain has struck arms deals worth €1.04 billion with Israeli companies since Israel’s offensive on Gaza began.
Ten of the 40 contracts were allegedly concluded after October 2024 – the month Spain’s Defense Ministry announced it had halted all military purchases from Israel.
Nine contracts have been awarded but still require finalisation.
Spain has been one of the main nations criticising Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza where Tel Aviv has killed nearly 51,400 Palestinians.
Spain has emerged as one of Europe's leading critics of Israel's brutal war in Gaza, actively taking steps towards halting all arms sales to Tel Aviv.
‘Non-substitutable’
Among the pending deals are two major contracts: a €576 million acquisition of the SILAM rocket launcher system, based on Israeli firm Elbit’s PULS technology, and a €237 million purchase of SPIKE missiles awarded to PAP Tecnos, a Spanish subsidiary of Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, according to the report.
Finalised contracts reportedly include items such as ammunition, electronic warfare systems, ballistic plates, and projectile programming devices.
The Defense Ministry told El Diario that some of the programmes are “non-substitutable,” a term used to justify continuing the transactions.
Israeli companies involved in the contracts have publicised weapons such as SPIKE missiles as “battle-tested” in Gaza, raising ethical and legal concerns.
Spain’s progressive government has been among Israel’s harshest critics in the EU and recognized Palestinian statehood last year.
However, mounting criticism from left-wing politicians and activists accuses the government of hypocrisy for failing to uphold its pledge to halt arms trade with Israel.
