Diplomatic tensions between Spain and Israel have escalated after the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Spanish Chargé d'Affaires. This action comes in response to the burning of an effigy representing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the traditional Judas Burning festival held in El Burgo, Malaga.
“"The atrocious antisemitic hatred manifested here is a direct consequence of the systematic incitement by the Government of Pedro Sánchez."
The statement, disseminated on the social network X, also criticized the Spanish Executive for its "silence" regarding the video of the incident. The festival, which took place on Easter Sunday, saw the residents of El Burgo burn a seven-meter effigy, filled with approximately 14 kilograms of gunpowder, symbolizing a message of "No to war, to genocide," as explained by Mayor María Dolores Narváez.
This event adds to a series of recent diplomatic frictions. Netanyahu accused Spain of waging a "diplomatic war" against Israel, referring to Spanish criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the Sánchez Government's stance on the war with Iran and attacks on Lebanon. Previously, Israel had expelled the Spanish representative from the coordination center for the reconstruction of Gaza, located in Kiryat Gat.
