EU countries to discuss association agreement with Israel on Tuesday

Spain has demanded the termination of this agreement, which came into effect in 2000, co-signing a letter with Ireland and Slovenia to the European Commission.

Several members have requested this. The European Union countries will discuss their association agreement with Israel on Tuesday, the EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced on Monday, April 20. “Some member states have put this on the table,” she told the press, on the eve of a meeting in Luxembourg of EU foreign ministers. Spain had demanded the termination of this association agreement on Sunday, which requires the unanimous agreement of the EU’s 27 member states. The European Commission has also proposed a partial suspension, putting the commercial part of the agreement on hold, a decision that can be made by a qualified majority of EU countries.

The suspension of the commercial agreement had been discussed by the Twenty-Seven, but did not lead to an agreement due to a lack of majority, because of the reluctance of several member states, including Germany. However, the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, and Israel’s offensive in Lebanon have prompted several countries to reopen discussions on the subject.

A potential suspension of the agreement could be reconsidered after the “disproportionate” Israeli strikes in Lebanon and the abuses committed by settlers in the West Bank, the spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry said on April 9. Madrid, on its part, demanded the termination of this association agreement on Sunday, which came into effect in 2000, co-signing a letter with Ireland and Slovenia to the European Commission, sent on Friday, demanding a “review” of the agreement.