Spain has awarded 46 contracts for more than 1,000 million to the Israeli military industry since the beginning of the Gaza War | Spain

Spain has awarded 46 contracts to the Israeli military industry for a global value of 1,044,558,955 euros Since October 7, 2023when the terrorist attack occurred that triggered the current offensive on Gaza, according to a study of the Delàs Center for Peace Research based on the data published by the State Contracting Platform.

Ten of these contracts, worth about 817 million euros, have not yet been formalized, so the Studies Center asks to be canceled. Among them are the Silam multiple raunchers, for 576 million, or the Spike antiacere missile system, for 237.5 million. The Ministry of Defense recognizes that both contracts, awarded to Spanish companies, use technology from Israeli companies Rafael and Elbit, but alleges that « today is not replaceable » by that of another supplier.

In the list, two 9 mm parabellum caliber bullet supply contracts appear for the Civil Guard, worth 3.6 and 1.8 million euros, with the IMI Systems Ltd company, Awarded on April 16, in the middle of Holy Weekthat President Pedro Sánchez has ordered to cancel, after the protests of his coalition partner. There are also two other contracts not yet formalized with the same company by programmers M339 setter for 120 millimeter spounds per amount of 1.8 million and 10,000 euros. According to the Ministry of Defense, this tender was paralyzed and no contract has been signed.

Yes, instead, in April of last year, the purchase of Pod of laser designation systems for combat aircraft to the Israeli firm Rafael for 207 million was awarded. The company that appears with more contracts in the list is Guardian Homeland Security, with 19, although together they suppose just over three million, while the eight awards to the different divisions of the Elbit Group, some without formalizing, add up to 581.6 million.

Many of the contracts aim to maintain equipment previously acquired, such as the maintenance and acquisition of spare parts for Radioenlace systems, awarded to Elbit Systems C41 & Cyber ​​Solutions for 3.7 million in January last year; While others suppose new acquisitions, such as Silam Razacohetes. The Delás center warns that the latter can increase the Spanish dependence on the Israeli military industry by generating future maintenance and modernization contracts.

Although most of the awards correspond to the Ministry of Defense, other administrations appear in the relationship. In addition to the Ministry of Interior, with contracts from the Civil Guard and the National Police, other State agencies, such as the ports of Tarragona and Huelva, depending on the Ministry of Transportation and Moivlity, and even local entities, such as the municipal police of the municipalities of Aviles (Asturias) and Ourense; governed by the PSOE and IU the first and by Ourensana democracy the second.

For the Center Delàs all these awards demonstrate that the Government has maintained the hiring of military products to Israeli companies despite declaring the opposite, so it asks “immediately cancel all formalized or execution contracts that contribute to maintain, legitimize or boost the genocide and war crimes of Israel’s military actions on the Palestinian civilian population of Gaza and Cisjordan (…) If the government had political will, it could impose that embargo through a decree law at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers, ”he concludes.

The Israeli government has reacted hard before the cancellation of the contract to supply 5 million bullets to the Civil Guard. « Israel firmly condemns the Spanish government decision to unilaterally break a contract signed with the company IMI Systems and its announcement that you will refrain from future defense agreements with Israeli companies, » said a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. « The Spanish government is sacrificing security considerations for political purposes and continues to be located on the wrong side of the history against the Jewish state that is defending terrorist attacks on seven fronts, » he added. Israel keeps her embassy in Madrid vacant since May last year, when she called consultations with her ambassador in protest of the recognition of the Palestinian State by the Spanish Government.