The decision has been made: Embargo!

In addition to the ban on sales from Spain, Sanchez said ships carrying fuel intended for Israel's armed forces would be barred from docking in Spanish ports, while planes known to be carrying military material would be barred from entering the country's airspace.

Sanchez said that while Israel has the right to exist and defend itself, it does not have the prerogative to "exterminate a defenseless people," citing as an example the failure of the international community to address the killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza.

"Protecting your country and your society is one thing; bombing hospitals and starving children is another," he added, stressing Spain's responsibility to do everything it can to stop "what the UN special rapporteur and many experts consider genocide."

Entry ban in Spain

The package of measures announced by Sanchez bans people who "directly participated in genocide, human rights violations and war crimes in the Gaza Strip" from entering Spain. The Prime Minister did not clarify how the participation will be assessed, nor how these persons will be identified.

The package also includes new restrictions on consular services offered to Spanish citizens residing in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as a total ban on products imported from the occupied territories.

Sanchez has long been one of the EU's most vocal critics of Israel's military assault on Gaza and last year's recognition of Palestinian statehood. But the leftist Sumar party, a minor member of Sanchez's fragile minority government, is pressuring the socialist prime minister to take more aggressive action to support Gaza.

Sumar leader and deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz on Monday celebrated the adoption of the new measures, but called on Sanchez to go even further and withdraw the Spanish ambassador from Tel Aviv.

Accusations of anti-Semitism

In response to Sanchez's announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused the Spanish government of being "anti-Semitic" and using a "hostile anti-Israel line" to "distract attention from serious corruption scandals."

Sa'ar also banned Diaz and Youth Minister Sira Rego — the daughter of a Palestinian refugee — from entering Israel, citing their "support for terrorism and violence against Israelis."

Madrid responded quickly.

"The Spanish government strongly rejects the false and slanderous accusations of anti-Semitism made by the Israeli government against Spain and the Spanish people, as well as the unacceptable ban on the entry of two members of the Spanish government into Israel," the statement said.

"The measures... reflect the majority opinion of Spanish society and are adopted within the framework of its sovereignty and in accordance with its defense of peace, human rights and international law," the statement added.