US defied Spanish embargo on arms bound for Israel, report says

The US Department of Defense shipped over a thousand tons of ammunition to Israel on a vessel that stopped at a US naval base in Spain, potentially violating Spain’s embargo on military cargo bound for Israel, The Intercept reported.

Naval Station Rota, although partly operated by the US Navy, is located on Spanish territory and technically falls under Spanish law. According to the report, transporting ammunition intended for Israel through the base complicates the enforcement of the embargo, as noted by researchers from the Palestinian Youth Movement and Progressive International.

“Shipments through American military bases in Spain of military materials, which may be used in the commission of international crimes, are harder to detect,” said Enrique Santiago, a lawyer and Spanish legislator from the governing coalition, in an interview with The Intercept.