Spain cancels contract for anti-tank missiles built by Israeli company

Euronews

2 days ago

Spain has cancelled a deal to purchase anti-tank missile systems that were to be manufactured in Madrid by a subsidiary of an Israeli company in a bid to move away from Israeli military technology, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
The decision will affect the license for 168 SPIKE LR2 anti-tank missile systems with an estimated value of €285 million.
The systems would have been developed in Spain by Pap Tecnos, a Madrid-based subsidiary of Israel's Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, local media said.
"The goal is clear...a total disconnection from Israeli technology," government spokesperson Pilar Alegría told reporters, adding the government is studying "the effects of the cancellation."
Israel's Defence Ministry referred questions on the decision back to Rafael, which declined to comment. Pap Tecnos has not issued a comment either.
Spain approved the deal on 3 October 2023 four days before the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
That attack left around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, dead.
Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently still holding 58 in Gaza, of whom fewer than 24 are believed to still be alive.
Spain's leftist government says it stopped exporting arms to Israel as of 2 October that year, but there where reports some shipments slipped through.
Authorities argued at the time that the systems used by the Spanish forces were obsolete and should be replaced for up-to-date versions like those used by allied armies.
Spain formally recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024 in a coordinated effort with Norway and Ireland.
A month later, Spain became the first European country to ask the top United Nations court, the International Court of Justice, permission to join a case mounted by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza. Israel strongly denies the charge.
There has been growing concern in the west about the Israeli military offensive in Gaza which has to date killed 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
Last week, Israel's Foreign Ministry accused French President Emmanuel Macron of being on a "crusade against the Jewish state," after he urged the international community to harden its stance towards Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza doesn't improve.
"There is no humanitarian blockade. This is a blatant lie," the ministry said, defending its control over the flow of aid into the enclave.
"But instead of putting pressure on jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state. No doubt his national holiday will be October 7," the statement said, referring to the 7 October 2023 militant attack on Israel.
During a three-hour televised interview earlier in May, Macron said Europe should consider sanctioning Israel over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands are thought to be now facing starvation.
And last month, the UK government said it was suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and had introduced new sanctions on settlements in the West Bank as Westminster ramped up its criticism of the ongoing military operation in Gaza.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK's existing trade agreement with Israel remains in effect but the government couldn't continue discussions with an administration pursuing what he called "egregious" policies in the two territories.
Those remarks followed a joint condemnation he issued on 19 May with Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that marked one of the most significant criticisms by close allies of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the West Bank.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has held talks with the leaders on France and Slovakia, with the war in Ukraine and a lasting peace deal for the country topping the agenda during both rounds of discussions.
Meloni first received Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico who arrived at the prime minister's residence, the Chigi Palace, at around 4pm.
According to a statement released by the Slovak government, the two leaders discussed the development of bilateral relations and the possibility of further cooperation in the field of energy.
"I really appreciate the pragmatic approach of your Prime Minister. I really like your pragmatic way of dealing with issues," Fico told reporters following the meeting.
"We focused on the war in Ukraine. The President of the Council was very interested in my position, since Slovakia is a neighbouring country, of course," he said.
"We discussed the issue of repowering, that is, what will happen in Europe when all energy supplies from Russia will no longer reach the European Union."
"I think there are countries in the EU that want to prolong this war with the idea that this is the way to harm Russia. I don't think this strategy works," Fico stressed.
Fico is a divisive figure at home with his critics accusing him of being pro-Russia. In January, Fico threatened to cut financial aid for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees living in the country as part of a set of retaliatory measures against Kyiv over its decision to halt the flow of Russian gas through its territory to Slovakia.
He has also said that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO, stopped military aid to Ukraine and criticised EU sanctions on Russia, all views which are largely at odds with the European mainstream.
Fico and Meloni "discussed their support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and their commitment to the reconstruction of the country in view of the Ukraine Recovery Conference that Italy will host in July 2025," a joint government statement said.
Later on Tuesday, Meloni welcomes France's President Emmanuel Macron to the Chigi Palace for talks which covered Ukraine, Gaza and relations with the European Union and the Trump administration.
"Prime Minister Meloni is part of the collective format of the Coalition of the Willing. She was present in the meetings in Paris and London, Italy is an important partner," the Elysée Palace said in a statement released on Monday.
That was a reference to a group of European countries spearheaded by Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer primarily to continue support for Ukraine's armed forces. The group is also working on the creation of a reassurance force that could be deployed to Ukraine as an additional security guarantee in a post-war scenario.
In addition to Italy, the coalition also includes Germany, Denmark, Greece, Portugal and Romania among others.
Italy's government said that both countries have "common positions" on many issues and expectations were high for productive talks but the leaders' opinions don't align on all issues.
There have been differences of position regarding military support for Ukraine with Macron adopting a more aggressive stance while Italy has generally remained cooler.
Macron has hinted at western boots on the ground in Ukraine while Meloni favours extending NATO's mutual defence agreement under Article 5 to Kyiv, an idea which hasn't found much support among allies.
Meloni was noticeably absent from Macron's mid-May trip to Kyiv with Starmer and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
And a week later she also didn't attend a working meeting of the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing in Tirana on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit.
Tuesday's meeting and working dinner were expected to bridge some of those gaps and see discussions on economic cooperation between Italy and France, with Meloni hoping to find common ground with Macron on addressing migration and transatlantic relations.