Israeli envoy slams Spanish minister over 'river to the sea' call

Israel’s acting ambassador to Spain Dana Erlich has strongly condemned Spanish Youth and Children’s Minister Sira Rego after she publicly called for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea” and accused Israel of committing genocide during a conference in Madrid with Palestinian Authority envoy to Spain Fadi Elhusseini.

Rego also called on the Spanish government to sever its commercial and diplomatic relations with Israel, urged the European Union to suspend its association agreement with the Jewish state and demanded that Spain honor the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The phrase “from the river to the sea” has become a common slogan at anti-Israel demonstrations around the world. Israel and its supporters have described it as a call for Israel’s elimination, referring to the fact that Israel is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.

Erlich accused Rego of antisemitism while distinguishing her comments from Spain more broadly.

“Spain is not antisemitic – but this minister is,” Erlich wrote in a post on 𝕏. The Israeli envoy further warned that such rhetoric undermined relations with Israel and fueled hostility towards Jews and Israelis in Spain.

The Israeli Embassy in Madrid also condemned Rego’s comments as “hate speech,” saying they normalize hostility toward Israel.

“It is unacceptable and illegitimate for a Spanish government minister to deny a sovereign state its right to exist,” the Israeli embassy said in an official statement.

Israel and its supporters have rejected accusations of “genocide” and “war crimes” in Gaza, while the Israeli government and military have repeatedly said that Israel seeks to minimize civilian casualties while fighting Hamas, which deliberately operates among civilian populations, according to Israeli officials.

Spain has emerged as one of Israel’s harshest critics in the European Union since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

Spain was among the few Western nations that boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address this week at the United Nations General Assembly.

In 2025, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez became the first Western leader to publicly accuse Israel of “genocide” in Gaza.

“We don’t trade with a genocidal state. We don’t. I believe I explained from this platform the other day what we’re talking about, when some statements were made that weren’t true,” Sánchez stated during a debate in the Spanish parliament.

In May 2024, just months after the Hamas Oct. 7 atrocities against Israeli civilians, Spain, Ireland and Norway unilaterally recognized a Palestinian state despite objections from Israel that the move rewarded the largest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Spain said at the time that its decision was intended to advance a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East. However, Spain’s radical Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz publicly stated, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Israel’s then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz denounced Díaz’s statement, comparing her to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hamas leaders who have called for Israel’s destruction.

“Khamenei, Sinwar and the Vice Premier of Spain Yolanda Diaz call for the disappearance of the State of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian Islamic terrorist state from the river to the sea,” Katz wrote.

Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun has also called for boycotts against Israel and for preventing Israeli artists and institutions from participating in Spanish cultural events.

Spanish Jewish leaders have condemned such statements and argued that they “contribute to normalizing prejudices against Israel that cross the line into antisemitism.”

In March, Spain withdrew its ambassador from Israel amid sharply deteriorating diplomatic ties between the two countries. Israel responded by downgrading its diplomatic presence in Madrid.