Ana Sálomon, dismissed as Ambassador to Israel amidst Netanyahu’s crisis, new Consul General in Perpignan

Eduardo González The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed new Spanish consuls general to Italy (Rome), Germany (Munich), and France (Marseille, Perpignan, and Toulouse), according to the Official State Gazette (BOE) published this Friday, July 31. Among those appointed is Ana Sálomon, Spain's most recent ambassador to Israel, who will be assigned to Perpignan. In mid-March, the Council of Ministers approved, at the proposal of Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, the dismissal of Ana Sálomon as Spain's ambassador to the State of Israel. This coincided with strong criticism from the Spanish government of the US-Israeli coalition's offensive against Iran and after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Spain of "supporting tyrants," referring to the Islamic Republic. With this decision, a mission that began in July 2021 came to an end. During this time, Ana Sálomon witnessed firsthand the deterioration of diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel due to the strong opposition of Pedro Sánchez's government to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offensive in the Gaza Strip—a diplomatic crisis that reached its peak in May 2024 with Spain's decision to officially recognize the State of Palestine. Following the dismissal, José Manuel Albares asserted that Ana Sálomon's removal was a response to the continuous "very serious insults and slander by members of the Israeli government against the Spanish government." Ana Sálomon will take up her post at the Consulate General in Perpignan on September 26. Separately, Celsa Nuño, former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will assume her duties at the Consulate General in Munich on September 29. Antonio Polidura will take up his post as Consul General of Spain in Rome on October 7th, Alfonso Tena will assume the position of Consul General in Toulouse on October 19th, and Sergio Krsnik will be the next Consul General in Marseille, although a specific date has not yet been announced for him. Furthermore, Paula de Diego will become Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Spain in Qatar on September 1st, Emilio Vilanova will take up his post as Cultural Affairs Counselor at the Embassy of Spain in Venezuela on August 22nd, and Ana Andés will assume the position of Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Spain in North Macedonia this Saturday, August 1st.

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