Spain urges EU to suspend Israel cooperation agreement and impose arms embargo

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno announced Monday that he will call on the European Union to suspend its cooperation agreement with Israel and impose an arms embargo on the country.

“Europe must show courage. The time for words and statements is over. We’ve had enough time,” Albares stated during a press briefing.

Albares emphasized the need for concrete action to prioritize diplomacy over warfare. “What I will request is specific action from the European Union to ensure that diplomacy—not war—is the priority. Whether it’s the Iranian nuclear issue or Israel’s military actions, everything must be addressed through negotiation. 

Everything is interconnected—Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iran. The entire region is linked,” he said.

The EU-Israel association agreement facilitates broad cooperation, including political dialogue, trade, and scientific collaboration. Suspending it would mark a significant shift in EU-Israel relations.

This latest move reflects a series of increasingly critical positions taken by Spain toward Israel since October 7. In early June, Spain’s Ministry of Defense revoked the export license of Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael, effectively halting a €287.5 million deal for the purchase of approximately 1,700 anti-tank missiles.

Earlier this year, the city of Barcelona cut institutional ties with Israel and suspended its friendship agreement with Tel Aviv. The municipality cited “the suffering and death in Gaza over the past eighteen months” as grounds for the decision, calling continued relations “unsustainable.”