US EditionEU members reject push to suspend association agreement with Israel
The proposal failed to win enough backing, as Germany and Italy opposed a full or partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
- On Tuesday, EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg rejected a push by Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, citing insufficient consensus among member states.
- The three countries argued Israel breached Article 2 of the 1995 agreement, citing humanitarian crises in Gaza and a newly proposed Knesset law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted in military courts.
- Suspending the full agreement requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states, while a partial suspension needs a qualified majority representing at least 55% of states and 65% of the EU population.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed no support existed for suspension, while German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for "critical, constructive dialogue" with Israel instead.
- France and Sweden are pushing to limit commercial activity from settlements, with diplomats suggesting that broader sanctions could advance after a new Hungarian government takes office in May.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Spain, Slovenia and Ireland were left alone yesterday in their intention for the EU to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel. The other 24 countries did not see the demand clearly, especially Germany and Italy, which they considered inappropriate. Surely the high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, was right when he underestimated this association pact and wondered if its suspension had stopped the Israeli expansio…
Spain failed to secure support in the EU Foreign Affairs Council for its proposal to suspend the association agreement with Israel. The initiative of Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares was opposed by key countries such as Germany and Italy, which assessed that the conditions for such a step were not met. Albares had based the proposal on human rights violations and the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. According to him, th…
The Foreign Ministers met in Luxembourg without consensus.Unanimity demanded blocked suspension; new trade proposals go to the European Commission.
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