by DIN
Madrid has officially barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country. Alongside the travel ban, Spain has enacted a permanent arms embargo, recalled its ambassador, and blocked weapons shipments bound for Israel from passing through Spanish ports and airspace.
Cue the history books: in 1492, Spain expelled its Jewish population, forcing tens of thousands into exile. Fast forward five centuries, and the script has a modern twist: instead of swords and decrees, Spain now wields travel bans, embassies-in-retreat, and shipping restrictions. But the storyline is eerily familiar: Jews are again on the receiving end of Madrid’s “principled” moral judgment.
One can almost imagine the ghosts of Ferdinand and Isabella nodding in approval — “Yes, let’s politely ban their ministers instead of burning synagogues!” — proving that some traditions die hard.
For Israelis, the timing is exquisite. Ministers who govern a state at war, whose country faces existential threats, are suddenly persona non grata in a European capital. Meanwhile, Spain’s diplomats make statements about morality, proportionality, and human rights, all while sipping sangria on the Mediterranean coast.
Supporters of the ban claim it’s about Gaza, not Jews. But optics, dear reader, are stubborn things. Spain has managed to combine centuries-old Jewish scapegoating with twenty-first-century bureaucratic sophistication. No need for royal edicts or dusty parchments—just press releases and sanctions.
So, let’s recap:
- 1492: Jews expelled, forced to wander Europe.
- 2025: Israeli ministers expelled, forced to wander airspace restrictions.
- Some things never change. Only now, instead of the Inquisition, it’s Twitter threads and news cycles.
History may not repeat exactly, but in Spain, it seems to have a wicked sense of humor.
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