Spain says Netanyahu deploying starvation as ‘tool of war’; calls for sanctions on Israel
A senior Spanish official has denounced Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for using starvation as a weapon of war during Tel Aviv’s ongoing war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.
Speaking on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz also called for immediate sanctions against the Israeli regime, and urged expedited enforcement of a parliamentary-approved arms embargo targeting the regime.
“In wars, one of the tools used is starvation, and that’s exactly what Netanyahu is doing today,” she stated, while emphasizing the urgent need for international action.
“Sanctions must be imposed on Israel, the genocidal state that is committing a massacre in Gaza in full view of the world.”
Spanish parl. approves ‘Gaza Law’
The remarks came a day after the Spanish parliament approved a non-binding motion, informally known as the “Gaza Law.”
The measure is aimed at imposing an automatic embargo on arms sales to parties found culpable of crimes against humanity by international courts.
The move directly targets the Israeli regime in response to the genocide that has been taking unprecedented toll on Gaza since October 2023.
In April, the Spanish government unilaterally canceled a €6.6-million contract to purchase ammunition from the Israeli company IMI Systems.
The decision followed intense pressure from coalition partners, including Díaz’s Sumar party, which had condemned the deal as a violation of Spain’s commitment to halt arms trade with the regime amid the genocide.
At least 53,573 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since the onset of the genocide, with the United Nations and various human rights organizations highlighting the use of starvation and blockade tactics by Israeli forces.
In response, several countries, including Spain, have taken steps to reassess their diplomatic and trade relations with the Israeli regime.
Among others, the UK recently suspended free trade negotiations with the regime and imposed sanctions on some of the regime’s illegal settlers amid the genocide and Tel Aviv’s concomitant intensified aggression in the occupied West Bank.
The European Union has also agreed to review its cooperation deal with the regime over human rights abuses in Gaza.
