Israel has summoned Spain’s chargé d’affaires following the public destruction of an effigy depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an Easter festival in the southern town of El Burgo.
The incident occurred during Easter Sunday festivities, where a seven-meter figure of the Israeli prime minister was packed with 14 kilograms of fireworks and detonated before a crowd of onlookers. Footage of the event shows the massive effigy engulfed in flames and exploding to cheers from the gathered crowd.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a sharp condemnation of the display on Saturday, characterizing the act as a manifestation of “appalling anti-Semitic hatred.” In a statement and accompanying social media post, the ministry accused the Spanish government of “systemic incitement,” asserting that such public displays are a direct consequence of the administration’s current policies.
Maria Dolores Narvaez, the mayor of El Burgo, defended the display as a continuation of a decades-old local custom known as the “Burning of Judas.” Speaking to a local television station, Narvaez stated that the tradition has historically featured effigies of various foreign leaders and has not previously resulted in diplomatic conflict.
While the Spanish government has not issued a formal public response to the specific accusations of antisemitism, a source within the Foreign Ministry told Reuters that the allegations are “completely unfounded.” The source added that the Spanish government remains committed to combating all forms of hate and discrimination, explicitly rejecting any suggestion to the contrary.
Diplomatic Downgrade and Retaliation
The confrontation in El Burgo follows a period of rapid deterioration in relations between Madrid and West Jerusalem. Last month, Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador from Israel, a move that formally downgraded the diplomatic standing between the two nations.
Tensions have been further exacerbated by Spain’s vocal criticism of a recent US-Israeli military operation against Iran, positioning Madrid as one of the most prominent Western critics of the strike.
In a separate retaliatory measure this week, Israeli authorities removed Spanish representatives from a US-backed coordination center in Kiryat Gat. The center is responsible for overseeing the Gaza ceasefire; Israeli officials stated the expulsion was a response to Spain opposing Israeli military actions and “defaming” the Israel Defense Forces.
The Spanish chargé d’affaires remains under reprimand following the summons, while the Spanish government continues to reject the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s claims of systemic incitement.
