Spain formally dismisses ambassador to Israel amid tensions with Tel Aviv

Spain formally dismisses ambassador to Israel amid tensions with Tel Aviv

The Spanish government has removed Ana Sálomon from her role as ambassador to Israel, a decision made public in the official state gazette on Tuesday. This action followed a vote at the latest Council of Ministers, marking a shift in diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Spain will now operate its embassy in Tel Aviv under the supervision of a chargé d’affaires, a position of lesser rank than ambassador. The move is seen as a reciprocal response to Israel’s earlier action of recalling its ambassador to Madrid, Rodica Radian-Gordon, in May 2024.

Sálomon was sent back to Spain in September after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez outlined measures to halt what he called the Gaza genocide. Israel’s response came swiftly, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar

accusing Sánchez of antisemitism and restricting entry to the country for two of his ministers.

This escalation pushed bilateral ties to their lowest point in recent history.

The diplomatic vacuum in Madrid persisted until Netanyahu’s administration failed to appoint a replacement for Radian-Gordon. The post remained unfilled, and the embassy’s operations were overseen by Dana Erlich in her capacity as chargé d’affaires.