Spain calls for EU to review relations with Israel
Spain’s PM has called for a reevaluation of EU-Israel relations upon suspicions of Israel’s commitment of war crimes, Reuters reported.
In February, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, alongside his Irish counterpart requested that Brussels address whether Israel is abiding by human rights obligations during its offensive in the Gaza Strip since 7th October 2023, or not.
Sanchez stated that a debate was in order, “to see if we continue with this strategic relation.” The Spanish PM did emphasise that an assessment with the European Commission was a necessary first step, according to Al Jazeera.
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Reiterating his request for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Sanchez also called for the global recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state with a full United Nations membership.
Spain’s public condemnation of Israel exposes the country’s desire to become a prominent leader in the EU, as seen by the sanctions placed on the violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Spain, Malta, Ireland and Slovenia agreed to work towards the recognition of the Palestine state in March.
However, Israel responded to their announcement, declaring that the four countries would be awarded a “prize for terrorism” and that this would delay any negotiated resolution of the war.
An article from The Guardian revealed that Spain still intends to recognise a Palestinian state by July as Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu’s “supposed explanations” and comments on the airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, did not reassure the Spanish Prime Minister.
Spain is holding Israel accountable for the killings and has announced that the country will decide “what action we’ll take with regard to the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu,” after receiving a full and detailed report of the Gaza death toll.
Reuters/Al Jazeera/The Guardian
