Overview

• At a joint appearance in Madrid, the Spanish and German leaders called on Israel’s prime minister to stop ground operations in Gaza.
• Pedro Sánchez labeled the campaign a genocide and argued Israel’s strategy punishes civilians, as Spain moves to formalize an arms embargo and curb products from occupied territories.
• Friedrich Merz rejected the genocide characterization, ruled out recognizing Palestine now, and warned that criticism of Israeli policy must not slide into antisemitism.
• Merz said there would be no German arms for the conflict and noted Berlin’s suspension of certain exports, reflecting a narrower approach than Spain’s planned embargo.
• The talks came after the European Commission advanced a partial suspension of the EU–Israel trade agreement, with both leaders pledging to keep EU coordination on security, even as Merz resisted Spain’s push to make Catalan an official EU language.