Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares (main image) asked the European Union for the ‘immediate’ suspension of the association agreement with Israel on Monday, citing human rights concerns.
He also called for an embargo on arms sales by the EU to Israel and individual sanctions against all those who want to thwart the two-state solution. ALSO READ: Spain cancels €285m contract for anti-tank missiles built by Israeli subsidiary.
‘It’s not denunciations that will stop this inhumane war in Gaza, it’s actions,’ he told the press at the EU Council of Foreign Ministers. ‘And I’m clearly going to put three on the table: the immediate suspension of the association agreement, an embargo on arms sales by the European Union to Israel, and individual sanctions against all those who want to definitively thwart the two-state solution.’
‘This is the time for action, and if the Association Agreement is based on human rights, it’s the most normal thing that we suspend the Association Agreement immediately today, and that we move forward,’ said Albares.
Albares stressed the need for Europe to uphold its founding principles.
‘We must acknowledge what we all knew since many months ago, that there are violations of human rights, and that today, above all, must be a day of action. Anything else would be a failure for the EU,’ he said. ALSO READ: Spain to present resolution at UN General Assembly to ‘stop killing’ in Gaza.
Albares also said that the situation in the Middle East affected the European Union ‘very directly’ for two reasons: ‘because it destabilises the Mediterranean region of which Spain is a part’ and ‘also because the values that are being trampled on, international law, the abolition of war as a way of resolving conflicts between States, human rights, those concepts were born in Europe’.
An EU report said there are ‘indications’ that Israel’s actions in Gaza are violating human rights obligations in the agreement governing its ties with the EU — but the block was finally divided on Monday over what to do in response.
Suspending ties would require a unanimous decision, which is likely impossible to obtain from countries like Austria, Germany and Hungary that tend to back Israel.
The foreign ministers of Germany and Italy had told journalists ahead of Monday’s meeting that they did not support suspending the trade agreement with Israel.
A formal request to review the agreement came from the Netherlands and was backed by 17 of the bloc’s 27 member states. However, Spain and Ireland had first called for the review in February 2024. ALSO READ: Spain, Ireland & Norway recognise Palestinian state.
Other actions – such as ending visa-free travel to Europe for Israelis, sanctioning Israeli settlers in the West Bank or halting academic partnerships – could be pushed if a ‘qualified majority’ — 15 of the 27 nations representing at least 65% of the population of the EU — agree.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that trade from the parts of the occupied West Bank with ‘violent settlers’ does not ‘benefit of the trade relationship we have between Israel and European Union’.
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ALSO READ: Spain scraps €6.8m ammunition order from Israeli company after uproar.
Foreign affairs ministers discussed:
📌 the situation in the Middle East, including Iran, Gaza and Israel’s compliance with Art. 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement
📌 Russia’s war against Ukraine with @andrii_sybiha
📌 China and European security
📌 GeorgiaMore ⬇️#FAC
— EU Council (@EUCouncil) June 23, 2025
La UE debe de actuar para parar la guerra en Gaza y desescalar en Oriente Medio.
Es el momento de la diplomacia y de la negociación.
Eso voy a pedir hoy el #CAE en Bruselas. pic.twitter.com/F8vjMfiFRT
— José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) June 23, 2025
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