Israel has called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez “a disgrace” to his country after pro-Palestinian protesters forced an early end to the Vuelta a Espana cycling race.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Mr Sanchez of “encouraging the protesters to take to the streets” of Madrid through “his incitements”, hours after the final stage of the race was abandoned because of demonstrators blocking the route.
Pro-Palestinian protesters, demanding an end to the war in Gaza, have repeatedly targeted the three-week race because of the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team, forcing multiple stages to be cut short. On Sunday demonstrators overwhelmed police and invaded the course in the Spanish capital. The prestigious event ended with police charging at protesters and firing tear gas.
Spain’s political class have clashed over the disruptions, with the opposition accusing the leftist government of permitting an “international embarrassment”.
Several members of Spain’s leftist government have publicly supported the movement in a country where support for the Palestinian cause is strong.
Mr Sanchez made his first public comments on the row on Sunday, saying before the final stage that “Spain today shines as an example and as a source of pride”.
The country was “an example to an international community where it sees Spain taking a step forward in the defence of human rights”, he told a Socialist party gathering in the southern city of Malaga.
Israel was swift to denounce those comments.
Mr Saar called Mr Sanchez and his government “a disgrace” to their nation, accusing the Spanish leader of encouraging the protesters.
The right-wing opposition Popular Party, which runs the Madrid region and the Spanish capital’s council, also reacted furiously. Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo’s response on social media was scathing.
“The government has allowed and induced the non-completion of the Vuelta and, in this way, an international embarrassment televised worldwide,” he said.
Madrid’s mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said: “What has happened today in Madrid is the fruit of hate and violence that have been irresponsibly encouraged in recent days by leaders from the left.”
At the other end of the political spectrum, far-left Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz hailed Spanish society for “giving a lesson to the world”.
“Israel cannot compete in any event while it continues to commit a genocide,” she wrote on Instagram, days after the Israeli government barred her from entry for her criticism of the Gaza war.
Israel-Premier Tech, owned by Israeli-Canadian property developer Sylvan Adams, is a private outfit and not a state team, but was hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for continuing to compete despite the protests.