Israel has accused Spain of being antisemitic after a giant effigy of Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up at a street festival.
The effigy was destroyed using 14kg of gunpowder in El Brugo as part of a traditional ceremony, the mayor, María Dolores Narváez, said.
Israel’s foreign ministry has called for reprimands following the incident.
The Israeli foreign ministry said the “appalling antisemitic hatred on display” was “a direct result” of “systemic incitement” by the Spanish government and the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.
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The incident occurred on April 5 near Malaga, with a Spanish foreign ministry source stating they were “committed to fighting antisemitism and any form of hate or discrimination. As such, we totally reject any insidious allegation which suggests the contrary.”
The tensions between the two countries appear to be rising as just days ago, Mr Netanyahu ordered the removal of Spanish representatives from the Gaza ceasefire co-ordination centre in Kiryat Gat, following accusations that Spain had accused Israel of “indiscriminate bombings” in Lebanon.
Mr Netanyahu said: “Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us. Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world.
“I am not willing to tolerate this hypocrisy and hostility. I do not intend to allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price.”
Israel has called for reprimands following the blowing up of a Benjamin Netanyahu effigy in Spain
|GETTY
In June 2024, Spain echoed the calls of South Africa, after they made a genocide accusation case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. It also recognised Palestine as a state along with Ireland and Norway in 2024.
Critics have claimed that antisemitism has spiked within the Spain following the October 7 attacks.
Following the vandalism of graves at a Jewish cemetery in Barcelona in January, a statement from the Jewish community in the city said: “We have seen how, at demonstrations, online and on the street, hate speech against Jews became routine.
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The effigy is one of a variety of recent events raising tension between the two nations
|GETTY
“Then signs appeared across the city.
"Later, posters were hung on public buildings with slogans. After that, a map was published marking Jewish targets, including a school, and now, the desecration of graves.
"This is not random. This is an escalation. From slogans to marking, from marking to threats, and from threats to action.”
The news comes just hours after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a stark warning that Ankara could launch military operations against Israel, over its continued bombardment of Lebanon.
Speaking at the International Asia-Political Parties Conference in Istanbul on Sunday, Mr Erdogan condemned what he described as Israeli atrocities and warned that Turkey possessed the capability to act militarily.
The Turkish leader launched a personal attack on the Israeli Prime Minister, accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of being "blinded by blood and hatred".
Mr Erdogan described Israeli actions as "barbaric" and claimed the country was running a "blood-stained genocide network" targeting civilians.
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