On May 16, 2024, the Spanish government announced that it would prohibit ships loaded with military equipment destined for Israel from docking in its ports. However, an investigation by Progressive International and the Palestinian Youth Movement to which elDiario.es had access reveals that at least 25 trips from the United States with military goods between May and September of this year stopped before at the port of Algeciras. towards its final recipient: the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD).
Investigators detected 1,185 shipments containing military supplies weighing more than 13,000 metric tons that followed this route. This newspaper was able to verify this information using commercial databases. Among these shipments are armored plates (203 shipments), armored vehicles (57 shipments), engines, vehicle and aircraft parts, aircraft tires, projectile bodies, various military equipment, other miscellaneous items and unidentified goods (431 shipments).
In response to questions from this media, an official source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains that it is “analyzing the information” with the “relevant ministries” to “clarify what happened”. The same source adds that if what elDiario.es revealed this Monday is confirmed, “all necessary measures will be adopted” to guarantee “that a Spanish port is no longer used as a stopover to send military equipment to Israel.”
In May this year, faced with several alerts regarding ships suspected of transporting weapons to Israeli territory, Foreign Minister José María Albares declared that the Executive “would not allow” ships carrying military equipment intended for Israel to stop in Spain. . “From there, I believe that any controversy is sterile and superfluous,” he concluded.
1,185 shipments to Israel containing military equipment weighing 13,000 tons were stopped in Algeciras between May and September
UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese and organizations such as Human Rights Watch have called on Spain to inspect these ships to ensure they are not carrying military equipment. Ultimately, the route of one of these two ships was diverted to prevent it from docking on Spanish territory. “This is the first time that we have done this, because it is the first time that we have detected a ship which is transporting a shipment of arms to Israel and which wants to stop at a Spanish port,” Minister Albares then indicated. .
Despite this announcement from the Spanish government, this new investigation indicates that “a weekly trip was rarely lost” between May and September 2024 on this maritime line from the United States to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, with transit through Algeciras, passing through transport and logistics company Maersk.
“Foreign Affairs has rejected and will continue to reject all requests for a stopover in Spanish ports for ships transporting military equipment and having Israel as their final destination,” insists the ministry.
Spanish Law 53/2007 establishes a full commitment to the International Arms Trade Treaty, which prohibits transfers – including transit – of military equipment to recipients likely to use it to commit war crimes such as attacks against civilians, crimes against humanity or genocide, which places Israel in a destiny incompatible with the said Treaty. The very transfer of population from the occupying state – Israel – to the occupied Palestinian territory constitutes a war crime, according to many jurists experts in international law.
In addition, the UN Assembly resolution approved in September – with 124 votes in favor, including that of Spain – orders the suspension of investments, trade and transfers – including transit – that could contribute to the illegal Israeli occupation or be used as military equipment. in the Palestinian territories.
“Rarely has a weekly trip been missed” between May and September on this maritime line passing through Algeciras
All shipments from the United States that transited Algeciras between May and September were registered in the name of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The business address listed for each data entry is that of Interglobal Forwarding Services (IFS), a US shipping and transportation company registered in Jersey.
IFS operates for the Israeli Ministry of Defense with G&B Packing Company, Inc., according to Progressive International researchers. G&B Packing Company is also registered in Jersey City, New Jersey, and is responsible for receiving and processing approved export licenses in the United States on behalf of Israel.
On its website, Interglobal Forwarding Services (IFS) says it offers “a full range of freight forwarding services from around the world.” The company claims to specialize in “Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Defense Contracting” and “Trade Compliance Requirements (Export and Import Licensing).”
On November 9, the American ship Maersk Denver is expected to dock in Algeciras.
IFS has been cited several times in cases related to the arms trade with Israel. In particular, the report entitled Deadly Freight (2017), from the International Peace Information Service (IPIS), details how this company was used during the 2014 Israeli offensive against Gaza (“Operation Protective Wall”) to hide information about companies sending military equipment in Israel. For example, shipping documents and freight invoices – so-called bills of lading – did not include the names of companies supplying military equipment to Tel Aviv.
The investigation indicates that the IFS facilitated military shipments from U.S. arms manufacturers to the Israeli Ministry of Defense for at least a decade and served to “conceal the identities of these arms manufacturers.”
He also points out that, “given the Spanish government’s action in May to block military shipments to Israel,” it is “very possible” that the Israeli Defense Ministry is “intentionally hiding the true nature of this shipment” to “get around restrictions on arms shipments.
Other ships on the way
On November 9, the Maersk Denver ship, coming from the port of Newark-Elizabeth, is expected to dock at the port of Algeciras. Another ship, the Maersk Seletar, will arrive in Algeciras on November 15. Thanks to the data “available to the port authority, it is possible to determine whether either of these two ships contains goods from Interglobal Forwarding Services sent on behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Defense”, indicates the one of the researchers.
Submissions and awards in 2023-2024
In February of this year, elDiario.es revealed that, despite the announced suspension, Spain had actually shipped weapons to Israel in October, November and December 2023. In the case of December, this shipment had the Philippines as its final destination , after transiting through the Philippines. Israeli territory. Spain also sent military equipment in January and February 2024, intended to be re-exported to the Philippines.
In July, elDiario.es reported on a new investigation by the Dèlas Center for Peace Studies which revealed that, since October 7, 2023, Spain has allocated 1,027 million euros to acquire military equipment Israeli from companies that profit from the massacres in Gaza and the illegal occupation. .
Several groups, integrated into the End the Arms Trade with Israel campaign, have long demanded a formal embargo and the revocation of all current contracts for military equipment whose destination or origin is the State of Israel. Added to this is a recent letter, signed by 300 personalities from the world of culture, in which President Pedro Sánchez is asked for a complete arms embargo against Israel, including “the transit of weapons and military fuel to across our territory.
On October 22, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said for the first time that all awards to Israeli arms companies were crippled, but did not dispel doubts about contracts to purchase Israeli military equipment which lasted up to a few weeks. There is. .
The Arms Trade Treaty prohibits transfers – including transit – of military equipment to countries that could use them to commit war crimes.
Six days ago, Cadena SER reported a purchase of 15 million Israeli bullets for more than six million euros, awarded on October 21, as can be verified by public data. The dissemination of this information provoked the reaction of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, which announced the start of a process of “cancellation of said purchase”, without giving details on the conditions of the contract cancellation clause.
On October 28, South Africa submitted “new evidence of genocidal actions in Gaza” to the International Court of Justice. Also a few days ago, the United Nations rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, presented a new 35-page report in which she documented in detail “patterns of conduct” that show Israel’s intention to resort to to “genocidal acts”. Albanese notes that since his previous report, published in March, “genocidal acts have increased.”
According to official figures, there have already been at least 43,204 deaths and 101,641 people injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023. To these figures, we must add an undetermined number of people missing under the rubble, as well as deaths caused by intentional blocking. of Israel’s humanitarian aid, which causes hunger and disease. Public health experts estimate that the number of deaths from direct and indirect causes could exceed 180,000. Despite complaints, new killings of civilians continue to be recorded.
