Spain envoy summoned after minister's "river to sea" remark

On the instruction of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Spain's chargé d'affaires in Israel, Francisca Pedros, was summoned Monday to a rebuke meeting at the Foreign Ministry with Gilad Cohen, head of the Strategic Affairs Division.

The summons followed remarks by Spain's Youth Minister, Sira Rego, who declared that the Spanish public supports a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea." Israel noted that the phrase is "a slogan whose meaning is the erasure of the State of Israel," and said the statement "joins a systematic anti-Israel policy by the government of Spain and its head, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez."

Spanish minister's remarks (Foreign Ministry spokesperson)

"The words of the Youth Ministerm who in the past chose not to condemn the October 7 massacre and in September 2025 was barred entry to Israel, testify to the direction of Spain's current government: support for a vision that means the elimination of the State of Israel," the Foreign Ministry said. "This, at a time when Spain's prime minister attacks Israel for the very right to defend itself, against Iran and against Hamas."

"The government of Spain has lost its compass," the ministry added. "Instead of standing alongside the fight against terror and threats to Israel's security, it has turned the State of Israel into the punching bag of its foreign policy and is taking an active part in the campaign against Israel and its existence."