ISTANBUL
Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz urged Europe on Friday to terminate all association agreements with Israel.
"I am sending a message to the international community, essentially to Europe. We want more. All association agreements with Israel must be completely broken off," Diaz told reporters.
Stressing that Israel violates international law, she noted that the European community looks the other way.
"The European community did what it had to do under international law when (Russian President) Putin illegitimately invaded Ukraine, and we sanctioned Russia. In Gaza, should we not do the same? Well, we believe we should," Diaz added.
She also demanded the immediate release of Spanish citizens detained by Israel following its attack on the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla.
"I truly believe our country is exemplary. Exemplary. Just yesterday, people took to the streets to demonstrate everywhere," she said, adding: "All of Europe is mobilizing—but there cannot be such a wide gap between the people and the European Commission."
Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday and Friday and detained more than 450 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla had been attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
The flotilla is an international initiative to break the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, imposed by Israel for almost 18 years.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed nearly 66,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the enclave and rendered it uninhabitable.