Sánchez unilaterally rectifies and terminates the Interior Ministry contract with Israel.

MadridPedro Sánchez backtracks and breaks the Interior Ministry contract with an Israeli company. It is quite a corrective for Fernando Grande-Marlaska and the Civil Guard, who closed the purchase of 15 million rounds of ammunition for 6.6 million euros from a company from the country presided over by Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the commitment to cut all commercial relations while the war in Gaza lasts. "The dual-use material investment board will deny the company permission to import this material into our country for reasons of public interest, and then the Ministry of the Interior will terminate the contract," the Moncloa (Ministry of Justice) reported in a joint statement with Sumar. The Interior Ministry's argument for formalizing the award was that giving up the ammunition would mean having to pay the money anyway, but less than 24 hours later the Spanish government changed its mind. 6.6 million euros is an anecdotal figure compared to the 10.471 billion agreed for the security and defense plan that Pedro Sánchez announced on Tuesday and which Sumar also frowns upon.

This Wednesday, in the middle of Sant Jordi in Catalonia, a crisis erupted in the Spanish government when it became known that the Interior Ministry had formalized a contract that it said it would cancel in October. Sumar requested the appearance of Grande-Marlaska, and Izquierda Unida went further: it suggested that the Ministers of the Interior and Defense, Grande-Marlaska and Margarita Robles, should step aside if they were unable to reverse the award. Furthermore, some voices within this party with a strong anti-militarist tradition raised the possibility of breaking up the coalition, although this was quickly officially ruled out. "There is no crisis in the government. We are focused on canceling a contract that should never have existed," stated the Second Vice President of the Spanish government, Yolanda Díaz, in a press conference this Thursday morning.

The second vice president has avoided commenting on the internal tension this issue has caused, both within the Spanish government and within the Sumar parliamentary group, insisting that she has been "personally" seeking a solution to a contract that is a "flagrant violation of international law and government agreements." "We are witnessing a true genocide in Gaza," she recalled. Hence, Díaz has claimed that from the outset she has demanded an "immediate rectification" from the PSOE. "I have been negotiating with Minister Marlaska and the Prime Minister since yesterday," she said, celebrating, shortly after initial statements that already indicated this, that the final outcome was the cancellation of the contract. This afternoon, the parties that make up the Sumar coalition met to address the strong discontent generated by the handling of this controversy, as well as the increase in military spending announced by Sánchez. The meeting took place in a calmer mood following Sánchez's reversal, but with criticism of the PSOE for decisions taken unilaterally, which it only reverses when subjected to external pressure. The parties present aimed to improve coordination with the executive's majority shareholder.

More contracts in the works?

On Wednesday, the United Left requested a full audit of trade relations with Israeli companies since October 7, 2023—the day of the Hamas attack, when Israel's indiscriminate offensive against Palestine was reactivated—given that the Spanish government has insisted that it has not exported weapons to the country since then. It later also pledged not to import anything. A study by the Delàs Center for Peace Studies, to which the Spanish government has had access, Eldiario.esHowever, it reveals that purchases from Israeli companies have not stopped. There are reportedly nine contracts pending formalization, twenty contracts closed in the last six months, and 31 since October 7, 2023, worth approximately €1.041 billion.

In the joint statement, the PSOE and Sumar assert that the "purchase processes that remain open were initiated before that date and those for weapons will not be executed." In other words, they contradict the investigation by the Delàs Center. Sources from this organization assure ARA that the Spanish government is lying. The two coalition parties insist that they are "firmly committed to the cause of Palestine and peace in the Middle East." And they assert: "Therefore, as of October 7, 2023, Spain neither buys nor sells weapons to Israeli companies. Nor will it do so in the future." In fact, this is what the Spanish government stated in its latest statement. in Congress on the issue. However, Podemos is wary, and its deputy in the Lower House, Javier Sánchez Serna, predicted that trade relations with Israel will continue "at full capacity," albeit in a "secret" manner.

"Who will pay for it?"

The People's Party (PP) criticized the Spanish government's move, which it sees as "more appropriate for a country in other latitudes." Alberto Núñez Feijóo opined that it was a "prank," that it was clear the executive "lied," and denounced Sánchez's actions now due to the "personal problem" generated by the internal tension surrounding the issue. The PP leader demanded to know how much the rectification will cost and "who will pay for it." "When one state makes a contract with another state, it must be honored," he emphasized in statements to the media from Galicia.