Amnesty International has called on the Government to suspend arms exports to Israel authorized before October 7, the day on which Hamas launched the terrorist attack that triggered the current escalation of the war and which to date has claimed some 30,000 lives, more than 95% of them Palestinians.
On December 5, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured in Congress that since that date there had been no operation to sell Spanish arms to Israel.
“Don't forget that this is not going to happen,” he reassured the opposition, concerned about the possible use of Spanish weapons in the offensive on Gaza.
However, the foreign trade portal Comex reflects that Spain exported a batch of ammunition to Israel last November worth 987,000 euros, according to an analysis by the Center Delàs published by
elDiario.es
.
The Secretary of State for Commerce alleges that this shipment corresponds to an export authorized before the Hamas attack against Israel and that it is “medium caliber non-explosive ammunition for tests or demonstrations, which is not susceptible to being used in the current conflict.” ”.
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Borrell proposes an arms embargo on Israel due to the threat of an offensive in Rafah
In 2022, Spain exported military material to Israel worth 2.3 million, consisting of aviation bombs for re-export to India, components and parts of transport aircraft, 30-millimeter shots for testing, return of control systems to origin remote control, armor parts for the Philippines, electronic equipment for the United States and image sensors, according to the official report sent to Congress last December.
In the first half of last year, arms exports to Israel amounted to 713,307 euros.
In addition, the sale of armored vehicles worth 44.3 million was authorized, the largest operation approved in recent years.
However, according to Commerce, it is a sale of 18 armored vehicles to be re-exported to the Philippines once they are equipped in Israel.
Amnesty International, which has investigated several actions of the Israeli Army in Gaza as war crimes, recalls that, according to Spanish legislation, licenses already granted can be suspended or revoked when there are situations of serious risk of violation of international humanitarian law.
For this reason, it asks the Spanish Government to “move from words to actions” and apply a “permanent suspension” of arms exports to Israel, promote a European embargo and pressure the United States to turn off the tap on the supply of equipment. military to the Netanyahu Government.
Furthermore, the NGO demands from the Spanish Government more transparency in these operations.
Specifically, to publish “the type of product, use and end user of the ammunition exported last November” and disseminate all “the data on the arms exports carried out and the licenses authorized to Israel since July 2022.”
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, threatened this Monday to go one step further and decree an embargo on European arms to Israel to stop the offensive on Rafah, in the south of the Strip, where 1.4 million have taken refuge. of people, while the Dutch Justice has ordered to stop the shipment to Tel Aviv of spare parts of the American F-35 fighter due to the “unequivocal risk that they will be used to commit serious violations” of human rights.
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, assured this Monday that she does not know if there are Spanish companies that are supplying weapons to Israel and has assured that her responsibility is to guarantee that there has been no delivery of military material from the Armed Forces.
During a discussion at the Club Siglo XXI in Madrid, Robles asked Israel for a “permanent ceasefire” and expressed his “utmost concern” over the fact that international law is being violated by not respecting the principle of proportionality in the offensive on the Strip with bombings whose victims are mainly women and children.
For his part, in a meeting that was not planned, Albares held two meetings this afternoon with the Israeli ambassador to Spain, Rodica Radian Gordon, and with the Palestinian ambassador, Husni Abdelwahad.
As reported by Foreign Affairs, the minister has reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the hostages held by Hamas and the entry of humanitarian aid, underlining his concern about the critical situation in Rafah.
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