Spain really has the nerve, recalling its ambassador to Israel and downgrading diplomatic relations!
On March 11, 2026, Spain did something that shocked the entire Europe: officially announced the permanent recall of its ambassador to Israel and directly downgraded the bilateral diplomatic relations from ambassadorial level to chargé d'affaires level.
According to the official statement released by the Spanish Foreign Ministry, this decision was "based on the Israeli government's continued violation of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip, refusal of substantive ceasefire negotiations, and systematic attacks on civilian facilities."
Pay attention to the key words: "permanent recall" and "downgrade." In diplomatic practice, recalling an ambassador is usually divided into two types: one is temporary, indicating strong dissatisfaction, and then returning after the storm passes; the other is what Spain chose this time — permanent, meaning it does not plan to send a new ambassador for a short period, directly cutting off half of the bilateral communication channels, leaving only a chargé d'affaires to maintain minimal contact. Such a level of diplomatic sanctions, the last time Spain used it against another country, goes back several decades.
As early as the beginning of the新一轮 conflict between Palestine and Israel in 2024, then-Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain repeatedly publicly criticized Israel's military actions, even calling for the recognition of the State of Palestine in international forums. By 2025, Spain even joined forces with countries like Ireland and Norway to formally push for discussions within the EU on recognizing the State of Palestine, which greatly infuriated Israel, leading to escalating verbal battles between the two sides.
In recent years, public sympathy in Spain for the Palestinian cause has been continuously rising, especially among the younger generation, who have seen a large number of images of Palestinian civilians suffering through social media, increasing their resentment toward Israel day by day.
In the short term, Israel will certainly be furious and may immediately announce retaliatory measures, such as expelling Spanish diplomats, restricting entry for Spanish citizens, or even setting up obstacles in the economic and trade fields. However, at the same time, Israel's diplomatic space in Europe will be significantly compressed. Tao Ge (a nickname for the user) is very impressed with Spain, just see whether Germany, Italy, and the UK follow suit.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859420666313740/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.