"Following the harsh words of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish ambassador to Israel has been summoned to a meeting of reprimand at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem tomorrow [15 May]," a ministry spokesperson told Efe.

The ambassador's summons comes after Sánchez told Congress that his government does not negotiate "with a genocidal state", in response to accusations by the spokesman for the Catalan party Esquerra Republicana, Gabriel Rufián, that the Spanish government negotiates "with a genocidal state like Israel".

"Let me make one thing clear, Mr Rufián. We didn't negotiate with a genocidal state. We didn't negotiate. And I think that the other day, in this tribune, I clarified precisely what we were talking about when we mentioned some things that weren't true," Sánchez pointed out.

Both Sánchez and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares have always been very careful to avoid labelling what is happening in Gaza as genocide. However, Defence Minister Margarita Robles spoke of a "genuine genocide" last May, which sparked outrage on the Israeli side. At the time, it was not reported that the ambassador had also been summoned.

Israel is still without an ambassador in Madrid after its representative in Spain, Rodica Radian-Gordon, was summoned for consultations in May 2024, following Madrid's recognition of the Palestinian state. At the time, it was already known that she would retire in July and a successor, Zvi Vapni, had been appointed.

The recent disagreement between the two governments, resulting from the cancellation of a contract to buy ammunition for the Civil Guard from an Israeli company, has further highlighted that political relations are not at their best.