Marlaska's eye and bullet

MEP Jaume Asens explains in his book The Irrecoverable Years (Peninsula) that Pedro Sánchez vetoed him as a minister out of solidarity with the pro-independence leaders. The Commons accepted the president's imposition because they were short on negotiating power when it came to forming a government, as Jéssica Albiach confessed when the concession was made public. If they had been able to counter the veto with another veto, their choice would have been Fernando Grande Marlaska. "Everyone knows that Marlaska is the minister I like the least," he confessed to Gemma Nierga.

The former judge has been Interior Minister since Sánchez took office, despite appearing on every list of candidates who might be slated to fall when the election process is over, and despite criticism from parliamentary partners and allies. The reasons are varied: the deaths at the Melilla fence, the obstacles in the way of the transfer of immigration powers to Catalonia, the dubious honor of provoking seven European court rulings against Spain for human rights violations during his time at the National Court, or the purchase of bullets from an Israeli company when Sánchez promised never to.

That Marlaska and his team are pushing the governing coalition to the limit over a contract to purchase 15 million rounds of ammunition on Good Friday is an operation he cannot remain silent about forever, even if his colleagues come to the rescue. Sánchez's disavowal is unprecedented ; it may not have immediate political consequences for the minister, but it was necessary to maintain the narrative of a president who has appointed himself a European champion against the Israeli government and the attacks in Gaza.

"Rest assured that, since October 7, Spain has not carried out any arms sales with Israel," Sánchez assured in Congress.

A year ago, in the plenary session of Congress, Sánchez vehemently responded to ERC spokesperson Gabriel Rufián: "Rest assured that, since October 7, Spain has not engaged in any arms sales with Israel, none at all. I want you to be clear about that so that all Spanish citizens will also be clear about it."

The president is a specialist in turning necessity into a virtue in exchange for votes when attacked with the hemeroteca of internal political transactions, but what comes after Marlaska's purchase and his revocation has economic and strategic consequences. The issue isn't the 5.4 million euros in ammunition, but rather how other contracts in process will be handled and whether, in addition to a unilateral decision by the president, there is an agreement from the Council of Ministers to change the procurement of defense equipment. Will Sumar request this?

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Díaz is satisfied with the minister's punishment, but there is no formal order regarding other contracts.

Yolanda Díaz considers the crisis over. The volume of the dispute increases, but the risk of a rupture decreases when there is no alternative. Sánchez has made a concession in exchange for showing up at the NATO summit in June in The Hague with a minimum of 2% defense spending. Marlaska stalls, while Margarita Robles's shopping basket is full of orders for Israeli arms companies.

Euphemisms fill every intervention. After Sánchez rejected the term "rearmament" to cling to "security," he now differentiates between contracts for protective or offensive equipment. Bullets, no; but... Two days earlier, the Official State Gazette (BOE) published another Interior Ministry contract to the same company, Guardian Defense & Homeland Security SA, to purchase 463 bulletproof vest plates for the Civil Guard's Maritime Service. The destination: the officers in Campo de Gibraltar and their more than 12,000 operations against drug traffickers last year. There have been more: cartridges, grips, visualization systems, fireproof hydration backpacks...

These are minor contracts compared to those Robles is handling, arguing that they are "irreplaceable." Purchases of Spike anti-tank missile launchers, using Israeli Rafael technology, Silam rocket launchers, and so on, up to 46 worth more than a billion euros, remain on the agenda. More are planned in the plan Sánchez has conveyed to NATO. And the Pegasus spyware contract? It was also for protection...