Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar urged Madrid to cut all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel Wednesday over the war in Gaza, calling the conflict a “genocide”.
The “All About My Mother” director called on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to convince other European leaders to do the same in a video posted on Instagram by his production company.
“I ask our government to sever diplomatic, commercial, and all types of relations with the State of Israel as a sign of repulsion against the genocide it is committing against the people of Gaza before the eyes of the entire world,” he said.
Almodovar has previously signed a letter with other Spanish artists including Javier Bardem denouncing the “silence” over Gaza during the Cannes film festival in May.
Sanchez’s leftist government has been among the most vocal critics in the European Union of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
He called it a “genocide” in June having recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024, but Spain has not broken ties with Israel.
The war was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas into Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 62,819 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
