Spain, Ireland call for a review of human rights commitments under the EU-Israel Association Agreement

Brussels – In a letter delivered directly to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the governments of Spain and Ireland are asking to “urgently” shed light on the Association Agreement EU-Israel human rights obligations. Because “given the widespread concern about possible violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza, for the two premiers, Pedro Sanchez and Leo Varadkar, there may be room to review the privileged relationship with Tel Aviv.

In the increasing international pressure climate toward Israel to end the devastating military operations in the Gaza Strip, the two European governments that have been most sensitive to Palestinian suffering since Oct. 7 have decided to break the tie and put on the plate a tool the EU could use to leverage Tel Aviv. The Association Agreement, in force since 2000, provides several trade concessions vital to Israel’s economy—for which the EU is the leading trading partner.

The Association Agreements entered into by the EU around the world, not just the one with Israel, are based on the shared common values of democracy and respect for human rights, the rule of law, and fundamental freedoms. The timing chosen by Sanchez and Varadkar is poignant because “the expansion of the Israeli military operation in the Rafah area represents a serious and imminent threat that the international community must urgently address.”

After recalling the 28,000 victims of the bombing of the Gaza Strip, the 67,000 wounded, and the forced displacement of nearly 2 million people, Spain and Ireland also reminded von der Leyen—who, after initial fervent support for the Israeli cause, has steadily diminished his outings on the conflict—that the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take “interim measures to prevent acts of genocide” and “immediate and effective action to ensure urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in Gaza,” where the United Nations estimates that 90 per cent of the population is already in a situation of severe food insecurity, with a serious risk of famine.

Nothing could be further from the risk of humanitarian catastrophe that would result from “the imminent threat of Israeli military operations in Rafah.” For all these reasons, Spain’s Socialist and Ireland’s centre-right governments have asked the European Commission to “urgently review whether Israel is meeting its obligations, including under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which makes respect for human rights and democratic principles an essential element of relations,” and to propose to the Council any “appropriate measures to be considered.”