Tensions between Spain and Israel rose again on Sunday with the final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling competition ending prematurely after pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked the race route.

In a post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of “inciting” the “pro-Palestinian mobs” that had gathered to protest the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team in Spain’s premier multi-stage cycling race.

“The sporting event that had always been a source of pride for Spain was canceled,” Sa’ar wrote, calling Sánchez and his government “a disgrace to Spain!”

The foreign minister also alleged that Sánchez had moved to mobilize demonstrators a few days after the Spanish leader “lamented not having an atomic bomb to ‘stop Israel.’”

Sa’ar was apparently referring to a speech on Sept. 8 in which Sánchez emphasized Spain’s small stature on the global stage. Madrid does not “have nuclear bombs, nor does it have aircraft carriers or large oil reserves,” the prime minister said at the time, adding that his country therefore “cannot stop the Israeli offensive.”

The statement was part of Sánchez’s wider plea for the international community to work together to stop the deaths of civilians in Gaza.

Tensions between Israel and Spain have been on the rise since 2023, when Sánchez became one of the EU’s most vocal critics of Israel’s military operations in Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Madrid recognized Palestinian statehood last year, and earlier this week imposed tough new measures on Israel — among them a permanent weapons embargo.

Following that announcement, Sa’ar accused the Spanish government of being “antisemitic” and using a “hostile anti-Israeli line” to “distract attention from serious corruption scandals.” He also banned two members of Sánchez’s cabinet from entering Israel, citing their alleged “support for terrorism and violence against Israelis.”

Protest action

Protestors have repeatedly disrupted this year’s Vuelta a España by blocking the race route while carrying Palestinian flags and signs calling out Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Over the past week various Spanish officials have expressed support for the demonstrations.

After protestors in Bilbao forced organizers to scrub the results of a stage last week, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said he was in favor of expelling the Israeli team, adding he understood the desire of protestors to underscore that Israel can’t participate in global events “as if nothing were happening.”

Spain’s top diplomat stressed that the hypothetical ban was not up to the government, because it had “no say in the team’s participation.”

Ahead of the final stage of the race on Sunday, Sánchez waded into the controversy by explicitly backing the protestors.

“Today marks the end of the Vuelta a España,” he told supporters at a Socialist Party rally in Málaga. “Respect and recognition for the athletes … And our admiration for the Spanish people who mobilize for just causes like Palestine.”

Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz — who was among the officials that Israeli authorities banned from visiting their country this week — also cheered the huge numbers of demonstrators filling the streets.

“Spanish society does not tolerate the normalization of the genocide in Gaza at sporting and cultural events,” she wrote in a post on BlueSky. “Israel cannot participate in any event.”

But conservative politicians were less enthused by the developments.

Alberto N´úñez Feijóo, head of the center-right People’s Party,  accused the government of exposing Spain to international ridicule by having its ministers applaud disruptive behavior they should be condemning. Madrid Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso, also a People’s Party member, said Sánchez had done tremendous “damage to our sport and our country.”

An estimated 100,000 demonstrators continued to protest in Madrid long after the race’s cancellation was made official, and clashed with police in the city center. According to Government Delegate in Madrid Francisco Martín, at least two people were arrested and 22 police officers reported injuries.