Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday urged the European Commission to clarify its position on whether the European Union should suspend its association agreement with Israel, Politico reported.
The call comes just days after Sánchez called for a halt to weapons sales to Israel.
“The European Commission must respond once and for all to the formal request made by two European countries to suspend the association agreement with Israel if it is found, as everything suggests, that human rights are being violated,” Sánchez said during an event in Barcelona.
This statement refers to a formal request made by Spain and Ireland in February, which sought an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement due to concerns that Israel may have violated the human rights obligations outlined in the pact.
This past Friday, the Spanish Prime Minister also called on the international community to halt arms exports to Israel, following an escalation in Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
Relations between Spain and Israel have been strained, as the Spanish government has been vocal in its criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, which followed the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Last November, Spain’s Ambassador to Israel was summoned by the Foreign Ministry after Sanchez claimed that "Israel is violating international law and is carrying out indiscriminate killings in Gaza."
In April, Sanchez criticized what he called Israel's "disproportionate response" in the Gaza war, saying it risks "destabilizing the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world".
Spain and Israel have also been at odds since Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state this past May.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has long urged countries to recognize “Palestine” as a means of bypassing direct talks with Israel.