In 2025, Spanish media reported that Sánchez had expressed “regret” that Spain did not have “nuclear bombs” to stop Israel’s war against Hamas.
By Shula Rosen
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap general election for November 29, days after Congress rejected measures aimed at addressing Spain’s housing crisis and more than a year before the country was due to vote in summer 2027.
Sánchez, who has served as prime minister since 2018, enters the election with most polls suggesting conservatives are likely to emerge as the largest party.
His government is also facing several corruption scandals involving figures close to him and his Socialist Party.
Police have raided the Socialist Party’s headquarters, while Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, was charged in April with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds following a two-year criminal investigation.
Former Socialist prime minister and Sánchez ally José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is separately under investigation on suspicion of exerting political influence to help secure a bailout for Plus Ultra airline in 2021 and potentially benefiting financially from the deal.
Sánchez has also emerged as one of the European Union’s most vocal critics of Israel. He has repeatedly described Israel as a “genocidal state.”
In 2025, Spanish media reported that Sánchez had expressed “regret” that Spain did not have “nuclear bombs” to stop Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
He has also strongly opposed U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran, saying Spain “will not be complicit.”
Spain officially recognized Palestine in May 2024 in coordination with Ireland and Norway and backed South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Sánchez also advanced a permanent package of military sanctions against Israel that Parliament formally enacted into law. The measures prohibit the import, export and transit of defense equipment and dual-use technology to and from Israel.
Spanish ports are additionally closed to vessels carrying weapons or ammunition destined for Israel, while ships transporting fuel intended for the Israeli military cannot dock. Israel-bound military aircraft are also prohibited from Spanish airspace.
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