Spanish government targets firms profiting from occupied Palestinian areas

Spain’s leftist government announced on Tuesday that it will investigate companies operating in the country that advertise or sell products originating from 'Israeli'-occupied Palestinian territories.

The move follows the approval of a decree last week that prohibits the promotion of such goods and services in Spain, aimed at preventing firms from profiting from the occupation, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said in a statement.

The decree is part of a broader package of measures, including an arms embargo on 'Israel', which Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described as targeting what he called “the genocide in Gaza.”

Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy stressed the government’s commitment to enforcement, saying his office would use “all necessary resources” to ensure no company operating in Spain benefits from the occupation. “No firm should have its balance sheet stained with the blood of the Palestinian people,” he told an event in July.

The announcement comes shortly after the United Nations updated its database of companies involved in Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, listing 158 firms from 11 countries.

Read more: UN blacklists Real Madrid President Pérez's company over 'Israeli' settlement activities

One of the Spanish firms named, construction giant ACS, quickly requested removal from the UN list, noting that it had sold its 'Israeli' subsidiary SEMI in 2021.

“ACS does not carry out any activity in Israel or in the Israeli settlements,” the company, led by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, said in a statement.

'Israeli' settlements in the West Bank are widely regarded by the international community as illegal under international law, though 'Israel' considers most of them legal. Some smaller outposts are technically illegal but are often tolerated and sometimes retroactively legalized.

Spain has been among Europe’s most vocal critics of 'Israel’s' military operations in Gaza.