Israel said on Friday that it will block Spanish representatives from entering the U.S.-established Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, citing what it describes as Madrid’s increasingly hostile stance toward Israel.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the decision was made by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing Spain’s position during the war and its broader diplomatic posture.
The Civil-Military Coordination Center, or CMCC, was established in southern Israel’s Kiryat Gat in October under U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. It was tasked with monitoring the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, facilitating the entry of aid and developing post-war policies for the Palestinian territory.
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U.S. troops at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, in October. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
U.S. troops at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, in October. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
Sa’ar said the Spanish government has adopted an “overtly anti-Israel stance” and has “lost all capability to serve as a constructive actor in implementing President Trump’s peace plan and in the CMCC operating under that plan.”
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The diplomatic standoff worsened between the two countries over Spain’s opposition to the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, and last month Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador to Israel. After Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced he would not permit planes or ships carrying weapons related to Israel to enter Spanish airspace and maritime waters, Sa’ar said that Israel would forbid entrance to several radical left Spanish ministers.
In the statement on Friday, the ministry added that the move comes “against the backdrop of the anti-Israel obsession of Prime Minister Sánchez’s government and its serious harm to Israeli [and also American] interests,” including during the war with Iran.
Spain has been formally notified of its exclusion from CMCC activities, the statement said. The United States was briefed in advance of the decision.
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance standing alongside U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, at the CMCC in Kiryat Gat, November. Credit: Francisco Seco/AP
U.S. Vice President JD Vance standing alongside U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, at the CMCC in Kiryat Gat, November. Credit: Francisco Seco/AP
This is not the first time diplomats have been barred from the CMCC in response to criticism of Israeli policy. Haaretz reported in December that the United States began restricting access for senior foreign diplomats engaging with the Palestinian Authority. Diplomats have said the center initially allowed broader international participation after its establishment in October, but that access rules were later tightened.
Since the center was opened, dozens of countries, including Germany, France, Britain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, sent personnel including military planners and intelligence officials as they sought to influence discussions on Gaza’s future.
In January, eight foreign diplomats told Reuters that officials from some European countries had not returned to the CMCC, located near the Gaza border, since the Christmas and New Year holidays. Several nations were questioning the purpose of the center, with one Western diplomat describing it as “directionless”.
“Everybody thinks it’s a disaster, but there is no alternative,” said another Western diplomat.