Germany and Italy on Tuesday rejected calls from Spain, Slovenia and Ireland to suspend a cooperation agreement with Israel, despite mounting anger over the war in Lebanon and the situation in the occupied West Bank. The suspension of the agreement concluded in June 2000 was proposed during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Published on: 04/21/2026 - 15:19 Last updated: 04/21/2026 - 18:37

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albarez announced on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg, that Spain, Slovenia and Ireland had asked the bloc to discuss suspending the association treaty with Israel.

But Germany and Italy rejected calls to suspend the cooperation agreement with Israel, despite mounting anger over the war in Lebanon and the situation in the occupied West Bank.

Upon their arrival to participate in the meeting, a number of ministers called for the complete or partial suspension of the treaty due to concerns about settlements in the West Bank, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and a new law related to the death penalty.

In this context, Albarez stated: “Spain, along with Slovenia and Ireland, requested to discuss and discuss the suspension of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel today.”

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said that his country calls for at least a partial suspension of the Association Treaty, but he added that Belgium "realizes that a complete suspension may be far-fetched given the positions of the various European countries."

Germany considers the move "inappropriate"

But the German Foreign Minister considered that suspending the trade clause in the partnership agreement with Israel would be “inappropriate.” Johan Vadevol told reporters: “We expressed our criticism regarding the application of the death penalty, and we warned in advance against taking this step. We also have a very clear position on settler violence.” He added that Berlin remains committed to creating the appropriate conditions for a two-state solution with the Palestinians, "but this must be done through a critical and constructive dialogue with Israel."

For his part, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said before the meeting that "there are no indications of a majority in support of taking any action regarding the Association Treaty," also referring to the current ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani also confirmed that “no decision will be taken today” in this regard.

The bloc is discussing this partnership agreement at the request of a number of countries, especially Spain, which demanded its termination, according to what the bloc’s foreign policy official, Kaya Callas, said Monday, who said: “Member states have put this matter on the table.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Sunday that his country would ask the Union on Tuesday to cancel the partnership agreement with Tel Aviv, which he accused of "violating international law."

Terminating the agreement requires the consensus of the twenty-seven member states of the bloc.

The Commission proposed a partial halt to the agreement

The European Commission proposed a partial halt to the agreement, by suspending the commercial part of it, a decision that could be adopted if approved by a majority of member states representing 65 percent of the Union’s population.

Callas explained that it should first be “evaluated whether it is possible to move forward” towards taking measures related to the commercial aspect of the agreement, “and whether the member states want that.”

The European Union is Israel's largest trading partner, and the two parties have had an association agreement since 2000.

The Union had previously proposed suspending the trade agreement with the Hebrew state, but without reaching a majority consensus due to the reservations of a number of members, especially Germany.

However, the deterioration of the situation in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, and the recent attack on Lebanon, prompted a number of bloc countries to raise the issue again.

France 24/AFP/Reuters

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