Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared Sunday that his government will urge the European Union to end its association agreement with Israel, AFP reported.
“On Tuesday, Spain’s government will present a proposal to the EU that the European Union break off its association agreement with Israel", Sanchez was quoted as having told a political rally in Andalusia.
He alleged that Israel “violates international law" and therefore “cannot be a partner of the European Union... it’s as simple as that".
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded sharply on social media in Spanish, stating that 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 association agreement, signed in June 2000, establishes a framework for cooperation between the EU and Israel and includes a clause requiring respect for human rights.
The move comes amid longstanding tensions between Israel and Spain, which began with the Gaza war and have continued since.
In November of 2023, 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 of 2024, 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".
A month later, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares advocated for international sanctions against Israel, citing the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Last week, the Director General of the Foreign Ministry, Eden Bar Tal, held a reprimand call with the head of the Spanish Embassy in Israel, Francisca Pedrós.
The conversation took place in response to a shocking antisemitic display in which an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was detonated in El Burgo, a small town near the southern city of Malaga.
Netanyahu also recently accused Spain of exhibiting hostility towards Israel and announced the removal of Madrid from the international mechanism overseeing the Gaza ceasefire.