SaralnamaSpain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for Israel to be excluded from international sports competitions over its actions in Gaza. "Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whitewash its image," he told elected representatives of his Socialist Workers' Party. He said Israel should be treated in the same way as Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On Sunday, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the Spanish prime minister "a disgrace" and accused him of inciting pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid, which caused the cancellation of the final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race, in which an Israeli team was competing. Earlier in the day, Sánchez had said that previous protests during the three-week race had shown that Spain "shines as an example, with pride" on the Gaza issue. Several Spanish government ministers also… (Updated 15 Sep 2025, 20:56 IST; source: link)
Key Points
- Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for Israel to be excluded from international sports competitions over its actions in Gaza
- "Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whitewash its image," he told elected representatives of his Socialist Workers' Party
- He said Israel should be treated in the same way as Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022