Spain refuses docking permission to ship carrying explosives from India to Israel

The Spanish government has denied permission to a cargo ship - the Marianne Danica - carrying 27 tons of explosive material from the Indian city of Chennai to the port of Haifa in Israel when the vessel was attempting to dock at a Spanish port. 

Spain has now announced that any ship carrying arms to Israel will be denied permission to dock in the country.

Spain Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters in Brussels, “We have detected this ship; we have refused to allow it to dock, and I can tell you that this will be a consistent policy with any ship carrying Israeli arms and arms cargo that wants to dock in Spanish ports,” as per AFP (Agence France-Presse, a French cooperative news agency).

The minister stated that “refusing permission for such a ship is consistent with Spain’s policy to ban any arms exports to Israel since war broke out in Gaza back in October.”

As per The Guardian, Spain’s announcement comes amidst a dispute between Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists and his coalition partners, the leftwing Sumar alliance, over another ship, the Borkum, which is scheduled to dock in Cartagena on Friday.

According to the hard-left Spanish political parties Sumar and Podemos, the Borkum is also carrying arms destined for Israel. After anchoring off the coast of Cartagena on Thursday, the Borkum set sail for Slovenia, suspending its port call in Spain.

According to The Guardian, Spain has been the most vocal critic of Israel's offensive towards Gaza and is actively working to rally other European countries behind the idea of recognising a Palestinian state.