Interior rectifies and formalizes the purchase of 15 million bullets from Israel | Spain

The Ministry of Interior has reversed its decision of terminate a purchase contract of more than 15 million bullets for the Civil Guard worth 6.6 million euros to an Israeli company, whose cancellation announced on October 24 as a consequence of the Gaza War.

According to has advanced the chain being, The Civil Guard Economic Affairs Headquarters awarded a 9,300,000 9 mm caliber bullets to the Israeli company Guardian Defense & Homeland Security Sa, subsidiary of the Guardian Ltd Ltd Israel, for 6,642,900 euros. The award was published on the Public Sector Hiring Platform on Good Friday, in the middle of Holy Week.

After knowing last October the award of this contract, Interior said that he had initiated the procedure to cancel the purchase. « The Spanish government maintains the commitment not to buy or sell weapons to the Israeli State since the armed conflict broke out in the territory of Gaza, » said the department directed by Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a note. « Although in this case it is an acquisition of ammunition, the Ministry of Interior has initiated the administrative procedure to cancel said purchase, » he said. « Other Israeli companies will be excluded, such as bidders, in other armament acquisition files that the General Directorate of the Civil Guard processed, » he added.

However, Interior has resigned to revoke the award of the contest to the Israeli company after the State Advocacy warned that, given the advanced procedure, it could face having to pay a strong compensation to the winning company, according to sources of said department.

The only thing that has been done, according to the SER chain, is to rectify the name of the winner. If initially was Guardian Homeland Security SA, Imi Systems Ltd appears, as a winner; and Guardian Homeland Security SA, as a representative, although the NIF is still the same. IMI Systems was acquired by Elbit Systems, owned by the Israel Ministry of Defense, and is one of the most important military industries in the Hebrew country.

The contract was initially tendered on February 21, 2024 and awarded by the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, on October 21. A day later, the Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, in the name of the five ministers of adding, sent a letter to his defense colleague, Margarita Robles, asking for the « immediate cancellation » of the purchases of weapons to Israel and not just sales. Robles replied with another letter in which he assured that « no weapons have been sold or acquired from the state of Israel since October 7 » of 2023, date of the Hamas terrorist attack that triggered the offensive on Gaza. « Pending export licenses with Israel do not correspond to weapons, but spare parts, and at this time they are paralyzed, » he added.

The truth is that, although weapons sales licenses have been suspended that have Israel as the last destination, according to the export statistics of military and double -use material recently sent to Congress, none of the weapons programs for the Spanish army in which Israeli companies participate, such as the acquisition of Spike missiles or the Silam Lanzacohetes has not been paralyzed.