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Top Israeli Diplomat Blasts Spain Over Anti-Israel Rhetoric, Rising Antisemitism
Dana Erlich, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Spain, signs the guestbook at the headquarters of the Community of Madrid. Photo: David Canales / SOPA Images
Israel has once again accused the Spanish government of fueling antisemitism through its anti-Israel rhetoric and alleged incitement of hatred, the latest escalation in the tense relationship between Jerusalem and Madrid.
In an interview with N12 News, Israel’s acting ambassador to Spain, Dana Erlich, said the Spanish government’s stance on Israel is motivated not by solidarity with the Palestinian cause but by a desire to harm the Jewish state.
“We are in a truly difficult situation with the Spanish government,” Erlich said. “I came here without illusions about the current government’s stance or what could be achieved. But I arrived with the belief that all is not lost and that there is still room for dialogue and a diversity of opinions.”
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Spain has become one of Israel’s fiercest critics, a stance that has only intensified in recent months, coinciding with a shocking rise in antisemitic incidents targeting the local Jewish community — from violent assaults and vandalism to protests and legal actions.
“It is important to clearly distinguish the current Spanish government from the rest of the country, including the broader political sphere, opposition parties, the media, and civil society organizations,” Erlich said.
The Israeli diplomat stressed that most Spaniards do not view Israel as an enemy, and that the government’s stance is not representative of the country as a whole.
“We cannot let this government’s anti-Israel stance hold us back; we must step up our efforts and increase our visibility,” Erlich said.
Since assuming her role earlier this year, Erlich has worked to maintain meetings, personal contacts, and engagement in cultural, economic, and academic arenas, despite government efforts to hinder such activities.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has increasingly faced backlash from his country’s political leaders and the Jewish community, who accuse him of fueling antisemitic hostility.
These criticisms intensified following incidents at the Vuelta a España cycling race, with political leaders claiming he has repeatedly incited hatred through his anti-Israel rhetoric and exploitation of the Palestinian cause.
“Like in many other parts of the world, we are deeply concerned about the rise of antisemitism here,” Erlich said. “What is even more alarming is the authorities’ failure to recognize or acknowledge this increase.”
“Antisemitism has existed for a long time, but here in particular, rhetoric and criticism of Israel often spill over into generalizations and the demonization of all Israelis,” the Israeli diplomat continued.
“Spain is a signatory to the Declaration on Combating Antisemitism, yet this blanket generalization and targeting of all Israelis violates the Declaration — and fits the very definition of antisemitism,” Erlich said.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Spain has launched a fierce anti-Israel campaign aimed at undermining the Jewish state on the international stage.
In one of its latest attempts to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Madrid has decided to block US military planes and ships from using Spanish bases to transport weapons and equipment to Jerusalem.
Last month, Sánchez also unveiled new policies targeting Israel over the war in Gaza, including an arms embargo and a ban on certain Israeli goods.
The Spanish government announced it would bar entry to individuals involved in what it called a “genocide against Palestinians,” block Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from Spanish ports and airspace, and enforce an embargo on products from Israeli communities in the West Bank.
Spain has also canceled a €700 million ($825 million) deal for Israeli-designed rocket launchers, as the government conducts a broader review to systematically phase out Israeli weapons and technology from its armed forces.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.