Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez has recommended the immediate establishment of an European army to bolster the continent’s security posture.
Sánchez made the call on Friday at the European Pulse Forum 2026 in Barcelona, where he advised allied nations to close ranks to deal with the current and emerging realities.
“We (Spain) are ready to move forward with a common European army,” he told the gathering. “Not in ten years or two—as soon as tomorrow.”
Sánchez repeated his condemnation of Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip, urging the international community not to allow “a new Gaza in Lebanon.”
The prime minister added that in the face of violations of international law, Europe must act consistently if it wants the support of the rest of the world.
Sánchez earlier condemned this week’s Israeli strikes in Lebanon, which resulted in over 250 casualties and injured more than 1,100, according to Lebanon’s Civil Defence and Health Ministry.
The Spanish leader accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “contempt for life and international law,” and asked the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel.
On Friday, Netanyahu stated that Spain was engaging in a diplomatic war against Israel and removed the country from the coordination center overseeing the Gaza ceasefire.
Netanyahu said Spain defamed IDF service members, whom he described as “the soldiers of the most moral army in the world,” vowing that Israel will not “remain silent in the face of those who attack us.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar scolded Sánchez for criticizing Israel and its army, saying “Spain’s obsessive anti-Israel bias is so egregious that it has lost all capability” to remain in the Gaza peace process.
Sánchez has been vocal since Israel started its military action in Gaza after the Hamas attack in October 2023. Spain also recognizes the state of Palestine, and recently recalled its ambassador to Israel.
