Brussels (QNN)- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged the EU to suspend its association agreement with Israel, citing violations of international law. The call follows a joint letter from Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia seeking a review, citing the death penalty law passed for Palestinians by the Knesset and amid the forced displacement of Lebanese.
Sánchez said during a rally in Andalusia, ahead of a meeting of the bloc's 27 foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday, “A government that violates international law or European Union principles and values cannot be our partner.”
Spain will formally propose the termination of the agreement at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday in Luxembourg.
Sánchez's call comes days after Spain, Ireland and Slovenia wrote to the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, calling for a review of Israel's compliance with the agreement after the Knesset passed the death penalty law for Palestinian prisoners last month.
"Not only a grave violation of fundamental human rights, but also a step backwards in Israel's commitment to democratic principles ... and therefore a violation of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement," the letter sent on Saturday read.
They said the approval of the death penalty by the Israeli parliament and Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank are violations of fundamental human rights.
The letter also cited Israel's mass displacement of Lebanese amid its recent assault.
Madrid’s proposal is likely to be opposed by a German-led group of countries that have consistently voted against such measures. A European Commission proposal in September that came amid the genocide in Gaza to sanction some Israeli ministers and suspend trade-related sections of the association agreement failed to reach a majority in the European Council.
Spain has repeatedly pressed the EU to review whether Israel remains in compliance with the agreement's human rights provisions.
Last week, Sánchez said, “International law is today fundamentally being violated by one country, which is the government of Israel.”
Spain has been one of the few European nations to consistently condemn and take action against Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza where more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023.
Sánchez refused to let vessels transporting weapons to Israel dock in Spain. It was also among the first European nations to recognize the State of Palestine in 2024, along with Ireland, Slovenia and Norway.
In October, Spain’s parliament approved the enshrinement in law of a total arms embargo on Israel, permanently banning the sale of weapons, dual-use technology and military equipment in response to the genocide.
Recently, the Spanish government decided to withdraw its ambassador to Israel, in a sign of rising diplomatic tensions. The move came amid the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The left-wing prime minister has also been one of the few leaders in Europe to condemn the US-Israel assault on Iran, describing it as “unjustifiable”. Washington’s European ally also refused to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
Last month, Sánchez slammed the Israeli attack in Lebanon and said it “seeks to inflict the same level of damage and destruction” on Lebanon as it has on the Gaza Strip.
Recently, in a post on X, Sanchez said Netanyahu's "contempt for life and international law is intolerable."
Also, last week, citing falsely Spain’s “anti-Israel obsession” and policies during the US-Israeli assault on Iran, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Spain will not be allowed to participate in the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, the multi-national center overseeing the so-called Gaza ceasefire, in the latest escalation between Spain and Israel whose relations have been heavily deteriorated since the start of the Gaza genocide.
Commenting on the move, ICC-wanted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that countries that “wage a diplomatic war” against Israel will pay “an immediate price.”
In response, The Spanish PM said, “No one should be offended by our respect for world order and international law”.
