Spain’s Sánchez urges Brussels to suspend trade deal with Israel

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called on the European Commission to take a stance on whether to suspend the European Union’s association agreement with Israel, just days after urging 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 told an event on Monday in Barcelona.
The comments refer to requests made by Spain and Ireland in February for an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, over concerns that Israel has breached human rights obligations embedded in the pact.
The call from Sánchez adds to growing dissonance among member countries on what stance the EU should take on its trade ties with Israel. While Spain, Ireland and Belgium want to reopen the agreement and exert pressure on Israel through trade sanctions, countries such as Finland, Austria and Germany are more skeptical.
The Spanish premier last Friday called on the international community to stop arms exports to Israel, following intensified Israeli strikes on Lebanon. On Saturday 40 countries contributing to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon condemned recent attacks on the UNIFIL mission and called for an investigation of the incidents.