Israel summoned the Spanish chargé d’affaires after Spain’s youth minister, Sira Rego, stated publicly that “the position of Spanish society is clear: for a free Palestine from the river to the sea.”

Gilad Cohen, head of the Political-Strategic Affairs Directorate, delivered the rebuke to the envoy, Francisca Pedrós.

The Israeli Embassy in Spain explained in an online statement that “‘From the river to the sea’ is a hate slogan that means a call for the destruction of the State of Israel and the expulsion of its Jewish population.”

“It is intolerable and illegitimate for a minister in Spain to deny the right of a sovereign state to exist,” the ministry added.

“She is unworthy of representing a democratic country,” the embassy declared.

In September 2025, Rego and Spain’s deputy prime minister, Yolanda Díaz, were barred from entry into Israel.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that Rego’s statement reflects the Spanish government’s “systematic anti-Israel policy” and criticized her for her silence on the Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis.

“The Spanish government has lost its moral compass,” the Foreign Ministry said, adding that Israel has been serving as “a punching bag for its foreign policy.”

Her most recent statements “reflect the direction of Spain’s current government: support for a vision that would mean the elimination of the State of Israel. This comes as the Spanish Prime Minister attacks Israel for exercising its fundamental right to defend itself, both against Iran and against Hamas,” the ministry said.

Rego’s Palestinian father lives in the Judea/Samaria region, and the minister has insisted that the “entire Israeli diplomatic delegation must be expelled from the Spanish State.” After Oct. 7, she said that Gazans have “the right to resist after decades of occupation.” She also called Israel “undemocratic and corrupt.”