MADRID, Spain: Spain will formally ask the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Sunday, citing concerns over violations of international law and human rights.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Andalusia, Sánchez said Madrid would present the proposal at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
“A government that violates international law, and therefore violates the principles and values of the European Union, cannot be a partner of the EU. It’s that simple,” he said.
Sánchez said Spain would push for collective European backing, stressing that the move was not directed against the Israeli people but against the actions of their government.
“We are going to do it not because we have anything against the Israeli people, but because we do not agree with their government’s actions,” he added.
Ha llegado la hora de que la UE rompa su Acuerdo de Asociación con Israel.
No tenemos nada contra el pueblo de Israel, al contrario. Pero un Gobierno que viola el derecho internacional y, por tanto, los principios y valores de la UE no puede ser nuestro socio.
NO A LA GUERRA. pic.twitter.com/jsGOiGQDB8
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 19, 2026
The announcement was reiterated during a Socialist Workers’ Party rally in Gibraleón, under the slogan “Defend Public Services”, where Sánchez confirmed that Spain would formally table the proposal in Brussels this week.
EU-Israel Association Agreement
Spain’s stance marks an escalation in its months-long campaign on the issue.
In 2024, Spain and Ireland jointly called for a review of the EU–Israel Association Agreement, which came into force in 2000 and governs trade and political ties while requiring respect for human rights.
In May 2025, the EU agreed to review the agreement.
A month later, the European Commission said it had found “indications” that Israel may be breaching its human rights obligations, but did not propose any concrete measures.
In recent days, Madrid has renewed its push alongside Ireland and Slovenia, including through a joint letter to the European Commission calling for the matter to be discussed at the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
Divisions within EU
Support for Spain’s proposal is mixed across the bloc.
Countries such as Belgium, Slovenia, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Sweden have previously backed similar initiatives.
Others, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Lithuania, have opposed such moves.
The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding €45 billion annually.
‘Put a stop to Netanyahu’
Sánchez also criticised the broader regional conflict involving Iran, calling it “an enormous mistake” that has cost thousands of lives, displaced millions and caused major economic losses.
“That is why I ask those who started the war to stop the war and to put a stop to Netanyahu,” he said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Spanish leader had earlier urged the EU to suspend the agreement following what he described as the heaviest Israeli attack on Lebanon since the start of the offensive.
Public pressure has also mounted within Europe. A citizens’ initiative, Justice for Palestine, has gathered more than one million signatures calling for the agreement to be suspended, surpassing the threshold requiring the European Commission to examine the issue.
