ISTANBUL

Palestine on Sunday welcomed a call by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to halt weapons exports to Israel amid its attacks in Gaza and Lebanon.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Sanchez’s call "is entirely consistent with international law and international legitimacy resolutions and supports the two-state solution and principles of human rights.”

The Spanish premier called Friday on the international community to stop weapons exports to Israel, noting that Spain halted arms sales to Israel in October 2023.

The ministry held "countries that provide arms and military equipment to Israel responsible for encouraging it to continue its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people."

It called on signatories of the Arms Trade Treaty “to act decisively to end Israel's use of arms and military equipment to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, human rights, and against Palestinian civilians."

According to the latest data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the US accounted for 70.2% of Israel's conventional arms needs between 2011 and 2020, followed by Germany at 23.9% and Italy at 5.9%.

In April, the US Congress approved $17 billion in aid to Israel as part of a $95 billion foreign military assistance package.

Additionally, data from the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) revealed that Germany sold weapons worth €326.5 million to Israel in 2023, a tenfold increase compared to the previous year.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 42,200 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

The conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, which have killed more than 1,437 people and injured over 4,123 others since Sept. 23.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching on Oct. 1 a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi