Spanish authorities have refused a ship carrying weapons for Israel permission to dock at one of the country's ports.
“This is the first time we have done this because it is the first time we have detected a ship carrying a shipment of arms to Israel that wants to call at a Spanish port,” said Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares on Thursday.
“This will be a consistent policy with any ship carrying arms to Israel that wants to call at Spanish ports. The foreign ministry will systematically reject such stopovers for one obvious reason: the Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace.”
The Danish-flagged cargo ship, 'Marianne Danica,' departed from India with 27 tonnes of explosives, according to the Spanish newspaper El País.
It had requested permission to call at the southeastern port of Cartagena on 21 May.
Pedro Sánchez government's decision comes just days after some Spanish politicians urged the government to ban the entry of another ship, 'Borkum', which pro-Palestinian groups say is carrying arms to Israel.
‘Borkum’ received government authorisation to stop in Cartagena on Friday as its final destination is the Czech Republic, not Israel, according to transport minister Óscar Puente.
However, officials from the left-wing parties Sumar and Podemos have asked the government to deny access to 'Borkum' in support of Palestine.
Spain has heavily criticised Israel's offensive in Gaza, halting arms sales to the country.
