When Spain began blocking Israeli products imported from the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem this week, it officially kicked off what may be the largest state-level embargo of products and services from the Jewish state since the Arab League boycott launched around the time of Israel’s inception.

While the ban on those products, and other measures that took effect on December 30, are not expected to significantly impact Israel’s economy or its $850 million in annual exports to Spain, they give a “symbolic message” that may encourage other countries to pursue similar trade boycotts with the Jewish state in the future, according to Maya Sion-Tzidkiyahu, director of the Israel – Europe Relations Program at the Mitvim Institute and a lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s European Forum.

“When a country of considerable size like Spain advances a move like this, it gives backing to smaller states to follow,” she said.

December 30 marked the deadline in Spain for formal enforcement of Royal Decree-Law 10/2025 (Spanish link), a law passed in September providing for “urgent measures against the genocide in Gaza and support for the Palestinian population.”

That day, Spain’s Finance Ministry began officially enforcing a ban on products originating “from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” It published on its website a list of hundreds of localities and postal codes, including those in the Golan and East Jerusalem, from which imports would be forbidden. Products from these areas — primarily agricultural products, wine and cosmetics — likely comprise just a tiny fraction of Israel’s exports to Spain.

The law also states that all imports from Israel must now state clearly their place of origin and postal code.

Also on that day, Spain’s Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda Ministry contacted seven websites promoting vacation rentals and told them to immediately remove or block 138 different ads for apartments in “Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.”

Article 4 of the law establishes that advertising the sale of goods from those settlements, or services provided in them, is now illegal, it explained.

Failure to remove these ads could result in further actions, the ministry warned, without specifying a penalty.

Also on December 30, Spain announced an exception to a total ban that went into effect in September on the export and import to Israel of defense technologies,........

© The Times of Israel