Spain demands EU terminate Association Agreement with Israel
Prime Minister Sánchez calls for an end to the EU Association Agreement as Foreign Minister Sa’ar slams Madrid’s ties to Tehran and Caracas.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Sunday his intention to formally request that the European Union terminate its Association Agreement with Israel.
The move marks a significant diplomatic escalation as criticism of Israeli government policy intensifies across several European capitals.
Sánchez delivered the message with bluntness:
"We have nothing against the Israeli people; quite the contrary. But a government that violates international law and, consequently, the principles and values of the EU cannot be our partner. NO TO WAR."
The Association Agreement serves as the bedrock of the EU-Israel relationship, facilitating essential trade and strategic cooperation. While Sánchez’s proposal is a "political signal of rare intensity," it faces a steep uphill battle in Brussels. Any suspension of the agreement requires unanimous consensus among all EU member states.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wasted no time in condemning the move, accusing the Spanish government of hypocrisy and maintaining ties with authoritarian regimes.
"We will not accept hypocritical lectures from someone who has a relationship with totalitarian regimes that violate human rights, such as Erdogan's Turkey and Maduro's Venezuela," Sa'ar stated.
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He further alleged that the Sánchez administration has become a mouthpiece for antisemitism and pointed to the "thanks" the Spanish government has received from the Iranian regime.
"We have nothing against the citizens of Spain," Sa'ar added, mirroring Sánchez's own phrasing, "but we are firmly against the double standard of the Sánchez government."