It is no surprise that diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel have become strained in recent years. The recognition of Palestine by the Government of Pedro Sánchez, the differences regarding the war in Gaza and the constant back and forth between the head of the Spanish Executive and Prime Minister Benjamín Netanyahu, are some of the elements that have shaped the frictions between both countries.
But the explanation could transcend the war scenario. Professor Ignacio Molina, director of the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), has put forward an interpretation that connects part of Netanyahu's vision of Spain with the intellectual influence of his father, the historian Benzion Netanyahu.
The thesis, which he has disseminated in an academic analysis through his X account, suggests that certain elements of the Israeli leader's thinking could be influenced by an inherited historical reading about the expulsion of the Jews in the 15th century and the Spanish Inquisition.
The influence of the historian Benzion Netanyahu
According to this interpretation, the father of the current prime minister developed a work focused on the study of the Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, defending the idea that these processes responded to a structural antisemitism in Spanish society of the time.
"His work argues that the Jews who remained in Spain became devout Christians, but were equally persecuted for impurity of blood", assures Ignacio Molina.
This vision, considered controversial in the historiographical field, would have marked, according to Professor Molina, the way the current prime minister interprets certain gestures or criticisms coming from Spain. Thus, Molina maintains that this possible family influence would help explain a broader perception of hostility towards Spain in Netanyahu's political discourse, beyond the strictly diplomatic conflict.
Inherited Antisemitism
In his X thread, the academic also states that the approach of the father of the Israeli leader would have contributed to placing the responsibility of the Inquisition “in Spain: its kings and its entire society”, instead of attributing it exclusively to the Catholic Church.
Molina adds that, in certain international speeches, the Israeli prime minister would have resorted to Spanish historical episodes as a reference for antisemitism, even in contexts where, according to his interpretation, there were other more recent examples such as German Nazism.
Netanyahu has always felt an anti-Spanish prejudice
The professor also points to a possible generational continuity by noting that “that fixation on España has been inherited by his son Yair”, in reference to messages from the prime minister's family circle. In one of them, he recalls, the idea of “liberating Ceuta and Melilla” was alluded to, in a political context unrelated to current diplomatic affairs.
In his conclusion, Molina maintains that “Netanyahu and his family have always felt an anti-Spanish prejudice”, although he clarifies that this would have acquired greater visibility in the current context of political tension between Israel and the Spanish Government.