MADRID: Spain will ask the European Union to end its association agreement with Israel over alleged violations of international law, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday.
Spain has criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over the Gaza conflict and Israel’s attacks on neighbouring Lebanon. Netanyahu has accused Spain of “hypocrisy and hostility”.
“On Tuesday, Spain’s government will present a proposal to the EU that the European Union break off its association agreement with Israel”, Sanchez told a political rally in Andalusia.
He alleged that Israel “violates international law” and therefore “cannot be a partner of the European Union… it’s as simple as that”.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded with a social media post in Spanish saying his country would “not accept hypocritical lectures from someone who keeps ties with totalitarian regimes”, citing Turkey and Venezuela under former leader Nicolas Maduro.
The June 2000 association agreement — a treaty that sets a framework for cooperation — includes a clause requiring respect for human rights. Spain and Ireland first called for a review in 2024 over Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
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