(Adnkronos) – Spain has banned the transit of ”US planes or ships loaded with weapons, ammunition, or military equipment” for Israel through the bases of Rota, in Cadiz, and Moron de la Frontera, in Seville. This is reported by El País, citing sources close to the Hispano-American Joint Committee that manages the bases from Madrid. “Rota and Moron are not a sieve,” the sources declared, explaining that the ban applies to “both those directly headed to that country and those with a stopover as a final destination.” The naval base of Rota, located in southwestern Spain and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, is strategic for US and NATO forces. It serves as a stopover for US cargo planes, tankers, and bombers heading to Africa and the Middle East. It hosts the largest weapons and fuel depot in Europe.
The sources added that “Rota and Moron are sovereign Spanish bases, under the command of a Spanish military officer, and everything that happens there must be authorized by the Spanish authorities.” El País also cites “abundant examples that Washington knows and respects the positions of the Spanish government” and it is predictable that it will seek to find alternatives so as not to damage relations with Madrid. The newspaper refers, for example, to the six F-35 aircraft delivered to Israel in March and April by the Trump Administration, which avoided transit through the Rota or Moron bases. “These fighters, which arrived with the Israeli air force markings already painted on the fuselage, made a stopover in the Azores, according to various sources, before flying over the Strait of Gibraltar,” writes El País.
What is currently allowed is that “US aircraft temporarily or permanently deployed in Spain can enter and exit the country freely, with no requirements other than compliance with Spanish air traffic regulations.” But “other US Air Force aircraft must request express authorization at least 48 hours before their arrival,” writes El País. For the transport of “personalities, dangerous goods, passengers, or goods that could be controversial for Spain,” a specific permit is required, the newspaper adds.
“In the case of ships, the mechanism is similar to that of planes, although authorization for port calls must be communicated with greater notice,” a minimum of five days. There is also a specific clause: Spain has committed “not to ask what type of weapons they are carrying.” El País sources assure that this commitment “does not refer to the cargo, but to the armament on board and responds to the Cold War context in which the agreement was signed: the objective was to prevent the Soviet Union from knowing which US ships were carrying nuclear weapons.” But “the paradox lies in the fact that, since the 1986 NATO referendum, it is forbidden ‘to introduce nuclear weapons into Spanish territory’.” Trust between allies therefore prevails: Spain does not ask, but Washington knows it cannot.
