On Tuesday, Spain made permanent its withdrawal of its ambassador to Israel, citing its disapproval of U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran and escalating an already strained diplomatic relationship.
The termination of the ambassador’s position was officially published in the government gazette, with the embassy in Tel Aviv now to be managed by a chargé d’affaires for an indefinite period.
Madrid initially recalled its ambassador in September after Israel criticized Spain’s move to prohibit weapon-carrying vessels and aircraft bound for Israel from accessing Spanish territory. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar labeled the action antisemitic.
Questioned on Wednesday about Spain’s cooperation with the U.S., President Donald Trump responded, “No, they’re not. I think they’re not cooperating at all.”
“Spain, I think they’ve been very bad,” the president stated. “Very bad. Not good at all. We may cut off trade with Spain.”
“I don’t know what Spain is doing,” Trump went on. “They’ve been very bad to NATO. They get protected, they don’t want to pay their fair share. And they’ve been that way for many years.”
Trump noted that the Spanish populace “are fantastic,” but the country’s leadership is “not so good.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also commented on Wednesday, calling Spain’s permanent recall of its ambassador “hard for me to absorb.”
“Spain is a member of NATO, and the United States and Israel are in joint operations against the Iranian regime who openly calls for the destruction of the Jewish State, attacks against the West, and seeks to purify Islam in its own image,” Graham posted on X.
“The religious Nazi regime in Iran is the problem, not the Jewish State,” the senator added. “I hope Spain’s actions will not encourage the tyrannical, fanatical regime in Iran — that abuses its own people — to hang on.”
Ties between Spain and Israel have significantly worsened since Israel began its military operation in Gaza following the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel also reduced its diplomatic level in Spain last May after Spain extended recognition to a Palestinian state, leaving its Madrid embassy under the direction of a chargé d’affaires.