On Jan. 17, 1986, Spain recognized Israel for the first time,
marking a hopeful new chapter in a long and turbulent history
between Spain and Jews. While there is an active and growing
Jewish community in Spain, the Israel-Spanish diplomatic
relationship has proven increasingly troubling. But there have
also been some positive developments. The Spanish government has
vehemently denied reports that it sponsored a new ad running on
Palestinian TV calling for a boycott of Israeli products.
Despite the fact that at the end the message indicates it was
sponsored by the Spanish government, in an interview with the
Jerusalem Post, the Spanish foreign minister said Spain
absolutely did not sponsor the ad and disagrees with its
message: “The substance of the advertisement is in frontal
opposition to the government’s opposition to any boycott of
Israeli goods, much less a blanket boycott like the one
insinuated in the video,” he told the Post. He also said the
Spanish government is absolutely not behind the ad and they