Spain cancels contract for anti-tank missiles built by Israeli subsidiary

MADRID (AP) - Spain is cancelling the purchase of anti-tank missile systems that were to be manufactured in Spain by a subsidiary of an Israeli company, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday, confirming Spanish media reports.

The decision will affect the purchase of 168 SPIKE LR2 anti-tank missile systems with an estimated value of 285 million euros ($325 million). The systems would have been developed in Spain by Pap Tecnos, a subsidiary of Israel's Rafael Advance Defense Systems, according to local press.

The Spanish goverment approved the project on Oct. 3, 2023, four days before an insurgent assault led by Hamas on southern Israel that sparked a devastating war in Gaza.

Spain’s leftist government says it stopped exporting arms to Israel as of Oct. 2, 2023, but there where reports some shipments slipped through.

In May last year, Spain formally recognized a Palestinian state in a coordinated effort with Norway and Ireland.

Israel faces legal action at two international courts in The Hague, Netherlands.

South Africa has filed a case at the top United Nations court, the International Court of Justice, alleging genocide by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel strongly denies the charge.

Judges at the International Criminal Court last year issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Joav Gallant. The warrants allege crimes against humanity, claiming they used "starvation as a method of warfare" in Gaza. Netanyahu said Israel "rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions" by the court.