Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for Israel to be excluded from international sports competitions over its actions in Gaza. Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whitewash its image, he stated recently. He noted that Israel should be treated similarly to Russia in light of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Sánchez's remarks come as protests against Israel's actions have increasingly disrupted sporting events in Spain. Following Sánchez's statements, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned him as 'a disgrace', accusing him of inciting pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid that led to the cancellation of a cycling race involving an Israeli team. Sánchez defended the protests as a demonstration of Spain's commitment to social justice issues, asserting, It's a relief to me that thousands and thousands of people mobilise against that genocide, because it is genocide, and it has no other name. The escalating rhetoric reflects a broader conflict where Israel has been accused of committing genocide amidst ongoing unrest, while the Spanish government continues to express solidarity with Palestinian suffering.