Spain will ask the European Union to end its association agreement with Israel over alleged violations of international law, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Sunday.
Spain has recently criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over the Gaza conflict and Israel’s attacks on neighbouring Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has accused Spain of “hypocrisy and hostility.”
“On Tuesday, Spain’s government will present a proposal to the EU that the European Union break off its association agreement with Israel,” Sánchez told a political rally in Andalusia.
He added that Israel “violates international law” and therefore “cannot be a partner of the European Union … it’s as simple as that.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded with a social media post in Spanish, saying his country would “not accept hypocritical lectures from someone who keeps ties with totalitarian regimes,” citing Turkey and Venezuela under former leader Nicolas Maduro.
The June 2000 association agreement between the EU and Israel includes a clause requiring respect for human rights.
Spain and Ireland first called for a review of the accord in 2024 amid concerns over tactics used in the Gaza war, which followed Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023.
Spain’s recognition of a Palestinian state the same year infuriated Israel.
Sánchez has since stepped up his criticism of Netanyahu’s government, calling Israeli strikes on Iran “a breach of international law” contributing to “a more uncertain and hostile international order.”
Spain, Ireland and Slovenia sent a letter to the European Commission on Friday calling for the agreement with Israel to be discussed at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu accused Spain of waging a hostile diplomatic campaign against his country and barred Madrid from taking part in the work of a US‑led centre created to help stabilise post‑war Gaza.
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“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us,” Netanyahu said at the time.
“I am not prepared to tolerate this hypocrisy and hostility. I will not allow any country to conduct a diplomatic war against us without facing an immediate price.”
