Tensions Escalate as Netanyahu Expels Spain from Gaza Civilian-Military Coordination Centre
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has removed Spain from the Civilian-Military Coordination Centre tasked with overseeing the ceasefire in Gaza. This step marks the growing rift in relations between the two countries following Spain’s support for Palestine.
The body, consisting of military personnel from various countries, was established as part of the 20-point peace plan by US President Donald Trump, which forms the basis of the Gaza ceasefire. The coordination headquarters is located in Kiryat Gat, a region controlled by Israel.
“Israel will not stand idly by in the face of those who attack us. Spain has defamed the reputation of our heroes, the IDF soldiers, the most moral soldiers in the world,” Netanyahu said, as reported by the Times of Israel.
“Therefore, I have instructed today to remove the Spanish representative from the coordination centre in Kiryat Gat, after Spain has repeatedly chosen to oppose Israel.”
Trump stated that he will not allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against Israel “without paying commensurate consequences.”
This occurs amid sharp criticism from Spain regarding Israel’s war against Iran, Israel’s policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and the deadly bombing campaign and invasion in Lebanon.
Most recently, Spain condemned Israel’s attacks in Lebanon and the broader war against Iran on Thursday. In his address to parliament members, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described the conflict as an attack on civilisation and reiterated the scathing criticism levelled by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez against Trump’s decision to attack the Islamic Republic.
“We are facing the greatest attack on civilisation built on humanist ideals regarding reason, peace, understanding, and universal law over the abuse of power, violence, and arbitrariness,” Albares said.
He accused Israel of violating international law and the two-week ceasefire that was recently mediated after a massive wave of airstrikes in Lebanon killed more than 250 people on Wednesday.
Sanchez, who has emerged as a main opponent of the war, has closed Spanish airspace to any aircraft involved in the confrontation that he described as reckless and illegal.
On Wednesday evening, he repeated his call for the European Union to cancel its association agreement with Israel and urged an end to “impunity for (Israel’s) criminal actions.”
In a post on X, Sanchez said “the contempt for life and international law by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot be tolerated.”