Spain Issues Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu and Senior Israeli Officials

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and six other former and current government officials are at risk of arrest if they enter Spain, following the issue of what is effectively an arrest warrant for the group by a Spanish judge.

Spanish national court judge Jose de la Mata ordered the police and civil guard to notify him if Netanyahu or the other men enter the country, the Latin American Herald Tribune reports. That could result in the reopening of a case against them concerning the Gaza Freedom Flotilla attack of 2010.

The other men named in the issue are former Defense Minister Ehud Barak, former Foreign Minister Avigdor Leiberman, former Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya’alon, former Interior Minister Eli Yishai, Knesset member Benny Begin and Vice Admiral Eliezer Marom, who was in charge of the attack.

From The Independent:

The case – which was put on hold by Judge de la Mata last year – was brought against the men following an attack by Israeli security forces against the Freedom Flotilla aid ships in 2010, which [were] trying to reach Gaza.

It concerns the Mavi Marmara ship, the main civilian vessel in a fleet of six that were attempting to break an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. The six ships were carrying around 500 passengers, humanitarian aid and construction materials. The Israeli Defence Force stormed the ship in a raid that left nine human rights activists dead. A tenth activist died later that month due to wounds sustained in the raid.

The Israeli Prime Minister and other officials now face charges in the case, should it be reopened.

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nachshon told the Jerusalem Post: “We consider it to be a provocation. We are working with the Spanish authorities to get it cancelled. We hope it will be over soon.”