As of today, the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem will be "authorized to provide consular services only to residents of the consular district of Jerusalem, and will not be authorized to (...) carry out consular services for residents of the Palestinian Authority," said a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. "Today I implemented preliminary punitive measures against the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem, following the Spanish government's recognition of a Palestinian state," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement. "We will not tolerate attacks on Israel's sovereignty and security," Katz said. "Anyone who gives a prize to Hamas and tries to establish a Palestinian terror state will not have contact with the Palestinians," the Israeli minister added. Spain is one of the European countries that has been most critical of Israel over the war in Gaza. Last week, Spain, Ireland and Norway announced their decision to recognize the state of Palestine as of May 28, which caused great unease in Israel. On Sunday, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares justified his government's decision to recognize the state of Palestine by explaining that it was a matter of doing "justice" to the Palestinian people, but also of being "the best guarantee of security for Israel." Josep Borrell, head of diplomacy for the European Union (EU), welcomed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa to Brussels on Sunday for international discussions on strengthening the Palestinian Authority, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The discussions focused on the future of the Gaza Strip, after more than seven months of war between the Israeli army and Palestinian armed movements. A strong Palestinian Authority is needed to bring peace to the Middle East, Borrell said, shortly before starting the meeting with Mustafa. On Saturday, the Spanish government asked Israel to comply with the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is part of the UN, to immediately stop its bombings and ground attacks on the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza. On Friday, the ICJ ordered Israel to "immediately end" its ground and air offensive on Rafah, after a complaint was filed by South Africa, which considers the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip to be "genocide." Read Also: Spain to deliver unprecedented weapons package to Ukraine (Portuguese version)