Spain slams EU for not suspending trade deal with Israel

OVIEDO, Spain

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday slammed the EU for not suspending its trade agreement with Israel over its onslaught in Gaza.

“It makes absolutely no sense that we’ve passed 18 sanctions packages on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine and Europe but, with double standards, haven’t even been able to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel when they are flagrantly violating Article 2 in terms of human rights,” he said ahead of the EU Council meeting in Brussels.

Sanchez added that he would push for the EU to “immediately” suspend the agreement with Israel during Thursday’s meeting.

Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement establishes that respect for human rights and democratic principles constitutes an “essential element” of the deal.

Spain and Ireland first began pushing for the bloc to review the deal in February 2024. However, the bloc only agreed to review the agreement after a Dutch initiative in May.

On Monday, foreign ministers gathered to respond to the review, which found “indications” that Israel breached its human rights obligations in Gaza.

After the meeting, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas ruled out suspending the deal for now.

“Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground,” she said. “If the situation does not improve, then we can discuss further measures and come back in July.”

On Thursday, Sanchez said: “It is more than evident” that Israel has broken its human rights obligations under the deal and that the EU cannot wait any longer to take action.