The “Quema de Judas” (Burning of Judas) in the mountain village of El Burgo, in Málaga province, has become the latest spark in the already strained relationship between Spain and Israel. This year, a seven‑metre‑high figure stuffed with several kilos of gunpowder and traditionally meant to symbolise “all the evils of the year” was understood in Israel as an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The reaction was swift: Spain’s chargé d’affaires in Tel Aviv was summoned for a formal dressing‑down. What for locals is a long‑standing Easter ritual has suddenly landed on the stage of high‑stakes diplomacy.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
A village explains its ritual
El Burgo’s mayor, María Dolores Narváez, insists the village is neither antisemitic nor hostile to Israel. The tradition dates back to the early 20th century and, she stresses, the figure is never officially given a name – not by the council, nor by the volunteers who build it. In local eyes, this Judas is an anonymous vessel for the misfortunes of the past year, burned on Easter Sunday so that “the good” can rise from the ashes. This year, the figure bore a clear slogan: “No a la guerra” – “No to war” – a message residents say is aimed at all wars and violence, not at any one country.
When folklore turns into a diplomatic affair
In Jerusalem, the reading could not be more different. Israel’s foreign ministry condemned what it called “horrific antisemitic hatred” and linked the scene directly to what it describes as systematic incitement by the government of Pedro Sánchez. From that vantage point, the burning effigy is not a piece of rural folklore but a visual expression of a hostile climate towards Israel. The fact that in 2025 the figure was widely seen as representing then US president Donald Trump underlines how, in recent years, the ritual has been charged with globally recognisable faces – and how quickly tradition can slide into political theatre.
A spark from the Sierra in a wider Spain–Israel clash
Whether it likes it or not, El Burgo now finds itself caught up in a fault line that runs far beyond its steep streets. On one side stands a Spanish government that has been sharply critical of Israel’s offensive in Gaza and of Netanyahu’s broader regional strategy; on the other, an Israeli leadership that accuses Madrid of waging a “diplomatic war” against it. This year’s burning of Judas – for villagers, an act of catharsis and new beginning – looks from outside like yet another spark in an already parched and combustible landscape, turning a remote mountain village into an unexpected stage in the political confrontation between Spain and Israel.
