Spain has decided to withdraw its ambassador to Israel, Ana Maria Salomon Perez, according to the country’s Official State Gazette released on Wednesday.
The decision comes as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez continues to be one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and its ongoing war with Iran, which Israel is conducting alongside the United States.
Following the move, Spain’s embassy in Tel Aviv will be headed by a chargé d’affaires, a source from Spain’s foreign ministry confirmed.
“The foreign ministry confirms the withdrawal of the ambassador to Tel Aviv, who was called back for consultations indefinitely, leaving the Spanish embassy in Tel Aviv under the leadership of a chargé d’affaires, at the same level as the Israeli embassy in Madrid,” the source said.
The withdrawal signals a further deterioration in diplomatic relations between Madrid and Israel, tensions that have escalated since Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza in October 2023.
Spain has been among the few European governments consistently condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and describing them as genocide. In 2025, the Spanish government also banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from using Spanish ports or airspace.
In May 2024, Spain officially recognised a Palestinian state, a move that prompted Israel to recall its ambassador from Madrid.
Relations worsened further in September last year when Ambassador Perez was initially recalled for consultations following a diplomatic dispute with Sanchez’s government. The dispute came after Spain imposed nine measures against Israel, including a full arms embargo.
Currently, both countries are without ambassadors. Israel’s previous ambassador to Spain left the post in 2024, and its diplomatic mission in Madrid is also being led by a chargé d’affaires.
Earlier this year, Sanchez declined to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” plan for the governance of Gaza, criticising it as a violation of international law and objecting to the exclusion of the Palestinian Authority.
Tensions have intensified again in recent weeks amid the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Sanchez has strongly criticised the operation as illegal and has refused to allow the United States to use jointly operated military bases in southern Spain for strikes related to Iran.
The decision led to a public clash with Trump, who accused Spain of being “unfriendly” and threatened to halt trade with the country after Madrid denied Washington access to the bases.
In a televised address earlier this month, Sanchez defended Spain’s stance, summarising it with the phrase: “No to war.”
“One illegality cannot be met with another, because that is how humanity’s great disasters begin,” Sanchez said in a speech on March 4.
“Too often, major wars erupt due to chains of events that spiral out of control, caused by miscalculations, technical failures or unforeseen circumstances,” he added.
“Spain stands with the founding principles of the European Union, the Charter of the United Nations, and international law. Therefore, it stands with peace and peaceful coexistence between nations.”
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