Foreign Affairs minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, has made it plain today that he will not tolerate any accusations of anti-semitism against president Zapatero, and warned Israel that their current military intervention "has given wings to Hamas and Hezbollah." The Israeli ambassador has admitted that diplomatic relations with Spain are somewhat strained at the moment.

Speaking at discussion organised in Madrid by the New Economic Forum, that is being attended by politicians and businessmen as well as Israeli ambassador, Victor Harel, Mr Moratinos was responding to a statement from the former leader of the Jewish community in Spain, Mauricio Hachuel, who expressed his "deep indignation" at the "anti-Israeli and anti-semitic" remarks made by president Zapatero about the current conflict between Israel and Palestine.

In response, Mr Moratinos pointed out that "loyal and honest criticism" of the violence "has nothing whatever to do with" anti-semitism, adding that the Israeli people should be grateful for the "concern" and "commitment" to peace in the Middle East being shown by Spain.

Mr Moratinos also dismissed that any conclusions should be drawn from photos of the president wearing a Palestinian headscarf at a political rally at Alicante University yesterday, which he said was "merely a friendly gesture" to the young people who had hung it round his neck. Going to greet a group of youngsters with a Saharan flag, Mr Zapatero met a Palestinian man, who presented him with the headscarf, which Mr Zapatero took off and handed to an aide after posing for photos with the group.

Later, Mr Harel said that Spain was "making very tough and unjust criticisms of Israel," that go even further than those expressed by the European Union.