Shafaq News- Madrid

Spain has ended the mandate of its ambassador to Israel, Ana Salomon Perez, and reduced its diplomatic representation in Tel Aviv to a chargé d’affaires, according to an official decision published on Wednesday.

Spanish newspaper El País, citing the country’s official state gazette, reported that the Council of Ministers decided to terminate the ambassador’s assignment and withdraw her permanently from Tel Aviv. The step leaves the position of head of the diplomatic mission vacant, with the Spanish embassy to be managed by a chargé d’affaires for the foreseeable future.

Perez had been recalled to Madrid in September amid a diplomatic dispute after Israeli officials criticized Spanish measures banning aircraft and ships carrying weapons to Israel from using Spanish ports or airspace due to the war in Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described those measures as antisemitic, and later accused Madrid of “standing with tyrants” over its opposition to US and Israeli strikes against Iran.

The decision places Spain’s embassy in Israel in a similar position to Israel’s embassy in Madrid, which has also been led by a chargé d’affaires since the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew its ambassador in May 2024 in protest against Spain’s recognition of a Palestinian state.