Albares will press so that the EU suspends the association agreement with Israel “while the war lasts”
The Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, has greeted the agreement that the EU has reached with Israel to increase the income of humanitarian aid in Gaza, but has stressed that it is not enough and that the twenty -seven must take sanctioning measures to ensure that the Israeli military offensive in the strip is ended. In this sense, upon his arrival at the Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Brussels, the head of Spanish diplomacy has advanced that he will ask the EU to adopt concrete measures against Israel to maintain the pressure, such as suspending the association agreement “at least while the war lasts” or imposing an embargo of weapons to the Jewish state.
At the same time, however, it has recognized that it will be difficult to achieve unanimity or even the qualified majority required to adopt some of the sanctions provided within the framework of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in case of violation of human rights, although there is already an official European recognition that Israel has flagrantly breached its obligations in the field with its military offensive in Gaza.
“The humanitarian agreement is a good step (…) but alone it is not all we need, the war will not stop,” Albares explained to journalists at the beginning of the appointment of ministers, where they must analyze the various “options” on the association agreement that the high representative for EU foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, presented them last week.
In this sense, Albares has advanced that he will ask for the suspension of the agreement “at least while the war lasts”, something that has considered “is neither extravagant nor extraordinary” in view of the situation verified on the ground by the EU itself. Among the letter of options that are considered, Spain also wants to propose “to establish an embargo on the sale of weapons to Israel” and, finally, “continue increasing the list of sanctioned to those who want to spoil the solution of two states.” The head of European diplomacy also recalled that there is a regulation on labels for products from the occupied territories “that we must enforce.”
“I will not even ask for new things, simply be fulfilled what is already,” he insisted and recalled that “the dignity of Europe is at stake.”
“We are beyond the words, I have clear for months that words, morality, by themselves they will not stop war, the actions will stop,” he insisted.
It is not clear, however, that the ministers are going to take concrete measures against Israel on Tuesday. Several countries have declared that they consider that Europe has fulfilled by achieving, through pressure through the review of the Association Agreement, that the Benjamin Netanyahu government agrees to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, has eluded themselves if this Tuesday’s event will come out.
