The Ministry of Interior has recounted and tendered The purchase of ammunition for a value of 6.6 million euros For the Civil Guard to an Israeli company, despite the fact that in October 2024 he renounced that acquisition in response to the war escalation in the Gaza Strip and committed not to award future contracts to other companies in the Hebrew country.
As Cadena SER has advanced and RTVE has been confirmed, last Good Friday, the Headquarters of Economic Affairs of the Civil Guard published the award of a purchase tender to the IMI Systems LTD companies and Guardian defense & Homeland Security S.A. – Filial of the International Guardian Ltd Israel Group – for the purchase of 15,300,000 9 mm caliber bullets, as published on the public sector contracting platform.
The Ministry led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska had annulled this purchase to this Israeli firm after the criticism of some of its leftist partners, who came to request the cessation of the person in charge of the interior dome or the minister himself.
In a statement dated October 29, 2024, Interior said that it not only canceled the award of this contract, but also excluding other companies in this country in the future, at least as long as the armed conflict continued. “The government maintains the commitment not to sell weapons to the Israeli state since the armed conflict broke out in the territory of Gaza,” added the note.
The government spokeswoman, Minister Pilar Alegría, also said that at the time the Government had knowledge of this award, she decided to “dispense the contract with this company” and assured would not buy or sell arms material to Israel “:” The commitment remains intact. “
Interior alludes to the recommendation of the State Advocacy
However, six months later and after studying different options, the department led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska has chosen not to cancel the contract. This was closed during Holy Week with the two Israeli companies, which NIFs share. These companies have managed to take two of the three lots offered.
The first, for 4,464,900 of euros for the 9×19 mm PB bullet supply and the second, another 2,178,000 euros for 9×19 mm semi -liperized cartridges.
Interior sources have justified this change in A study that asked the State Advocacy on the possible decision of the contract. In this report, the agency advised to annul the award due to the advanced processing phase since they could face a fine, so the ministry decided to attend the recommendation and move on.
-Add demands the “immediate” rectification of Marlaska
Since the war began in 2023, the Spanish Executive adopted various measures, such as recognizing the Palestinian State, denied permission to stop in Cartagena to a ship that transported armament to Israel and ask the international community to stop selling weapons to the Israeli government.
“The Government of Spain has been since October 7 (from 2023) without exporting any weapons to Israel, none. With this I mean that the position of Spain has been determined since the first moment, not contributing in any way to the expansion of the war in the Middle East,” Sánchez said on October 11. Despite this, its leftist partners have claimed the PSOE more forcefulness and fulfill their promises.
In a statement, the summar movement has labeled the acquisition of the supply for the Civil Guard Comor a “flagrant violation of the commitments acquired within the Government” And he stressed that the suspension of arms trade “is not only a fair measure in the context of the genocide that the Palestinian people are suffering, but also in line with international treaties.” “There are no nuances in the middle of a massacre whose responsible have an international arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court,” adds the statement.
Therefore, the Second Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díazhas demanded “the immediate cancellation of the contract” and He has requested the appearance of the Minister of Interior To clarify what happened, while requested by the “absolute” commitment of the Executive with the Palestinian people. “We are attending the live genocide of the Palestinian people, a rectification is necessary,” he said in statements to the media.
We can
The general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, has accused the government of becoming “necessary collaborators” of Geno in Gaza by buying “Armas” from Israel. “Continue buying and selling weapons to the terrorist state of Israel and allowing our traffic ports to be used. One and a thousand times, not in my name,” he said.
In similar terms, the former ministrate of equality and number two of the party has been expressed, Irene Montero, who has accused the “Sánchez War Government” of “collaborating with the genocides”: “It is unbearable. Not in our name and not with our silence.”
The news of the purchase of supplies also comes one day after President Pedro Sánchez announced the increase in defense expenditure to reach 2% of GDP, following the commitment to NATO, and that the new acquisitions would fall 87% to Spanish companies and the rest in European industry, all in order to improve “strategic autonomy.”
