Spanish prime minister: EU–Israel cooperation agreement must be suspended immediately

According to AFP, Sánchez told reporters ahead of the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on Thursday: “There is a catastrophic situation of genocide occurring in Gaza.”

He urged EU member states to immediately suspend the cooperation agreement with Israel.

On Monday, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares also expressed concern over human rights violations and called for urgent EU action, including the suspension of the EU–Israel trade agreement and a ban on arms sales to the regime.

In addition, 114 international organizations and institutions this week also called for the suspension of the EU–Israel cooperation agreement, citing Israel's violations of human rights.

The EU–Israel Cooperation Agreement, in force since the year 2000, forms the main framework for political, economic, and cultural cooperation between the two sides. However, Article 2 of the agreement states that its full implementation is conditional on respect for democratic principles and human rights by both parties—an article now under serious review given Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.