Spain Summons Israeli Diplomat over Controversial Remarks

Spain's Foreign Ministry will summon Israel's charge d'affaires to protest against remarks made by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who labeled Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as 'antisemite and liar.' The comments followed Sanchez's support for pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid.

In a diplomatic escalation, Spain's Foreign Ministry announced it will summon the Israeli charge d'affaires to file a protest. The move came after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of being 'an antisemite and a liar' on social media.

The discord erupted following Sanchez's backing of substantive pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Madrid, which resulted in the cancellation of a stage of the La Vuelta cycling race. The Spanish government deems Saar's comments unacceptable and demanded a formal explanation.

This confrontation marks the second instance in under a week where Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares deemed it necessary to call in the Israeli envoy over negative remarks aimed at Spain.

(With inputs from agencies.)