Spain has refused docking permission for the Marianne Danica, an Indian ship carrying arms to Israel, announced Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday.
“This is the first time we have done this because it is the first time we have detected a ship carrying a shipment of arms to Israel that wants to call at a Spanish port,” Albares told reporters in Brussels.
He emphasized that this will be a consistent policy, stating, “The Middle East does not need more weapons; it needs more peace.”
Transport Minister Oscar Puente confirmed that the Marianne Danica, a Danish-flagged ship carrying 27 tonnes of explosive material from Madras, India, had requested to dock at Cartagena on May 21.
This decision coincides with a political dispute between Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists and their coalition partners, the hard-left Sumar party, over another vessel, the Borkum, scheduled to dock in Cartagena on Friday. While pro-Palestinian groups claim the Borkum is carrying arms to Israel, Puente clarified that it is transporting military material to the Czech Republic.
Spain has been a vocal critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza and is advocating for European recognition of a Palestinian state. Following Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza, Spain halted arms sales to Israel.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reports that the Israeli military has killed more than 35,000 people, mostly civilians.