The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, on Monday, that it had ordered the Spanish consulate in occupied Jerusalem to stop providing its services to the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as of next June 1.
The Israeli decision came in response to Spain’s recognition of the Palestinian state.
The Ministry explained, in a statement, that the Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem “is authorized to provide consular services to residents of the consular area in Jerusalem only, and is not authorized to provide services or carry out consular activity to residents of the area under the Palestinian Authority.”
She added that this directive will come into effect on June 1.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement, “Today, I implemented initial punitive measures against the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem after the Spanish government recognized a Palestinian state,” adding, “We will not accept compromising Israel’s sovereignty and security.”
Spain is one of the European countries most critical of Israel due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip since October 7, which has so far led to the fall of about 36,000 martyrs, most of whom are women and children, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure and the displacement and starvation of the population.
Last week, Spain, Ireland and Norway announced their decision to recognize the Palestinian state starting tomorrow, Tuesday, which sparked strong criticism from Israel.
Tomorrow, Madrid is scheduled to receive Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa in his capacity as head of government.