Spanish socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Sunday announced Spain will propose to the European Union it “breaks” its Association Agreement with Israel over the ongoing war in Iran.
Sánchez made the announcement during an event of the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) at the municipality of Gibraleón ahead of an upcoming Andalusian regional election and detailed that Spain will bring forward the proposal on Tuesday to “put a stop” to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu over the ongoing war in Iran.
Sánchez argued that the war in Iran, which he described as a “colossal mistake,” is costing thousands of human lives, displacing millions of people across the Middle East, and causing billions of euros’ worth of economic losses to the Spain people.
“That is why I call on those who started this war to stop it and rein in Netanyahu,” Sánchez said.
“And I will say more. And I will say more. This Tuesday [April 21], the Spanish government will present a proposal to the European Union calling for the termination of the EU’s association agreement with Israel,” Sánchez announced.
The Spanish Prime Minister asserted that Spain will present the proposal “not because we have anything against Israel — on the contrary, we are a people who are friends with the people of Israel,” but because his government does not agree with the actions taken by the Israeli government.
“And a government that violates international law and, therefore, violates the principles and values of the European Union cannot be a partner of the European Union,” Sánchez said. “It’s that simple, that straightforward. And that is why I ask for the support of all European Union countries for this Spanish proposal.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned Sánchez’s “hypocritical” announcement through a social media post written in Spanish. He accompanied the text with a photo published by Iranian regime propaganda networks in March of a sticker placed on missiles with messages thanking Sánchez for his opposition to the war in Iran.
“We will not accept hypocritical rhetoric from someone who has ties to totalitarian regimes that violate human rights, such as Erdogan’s Turkey and Maduro’s Venezuela,” Sa’ar’s message read. “A government that receives praise from Iran’s brutal regime and terrorist organizations, and that has dedicated itself to spreading anti-Semitism.”
“We have nothing against the citizens of Spain — quite the contrary — but we object to the double standards of the government of Pedro Sánchez,” he continued.
Per Politico, the Spanish proposal is unlikely to end the European Union’s association agreement with Israel is unlikely to pass, as it requires a unanimous approval from the bloc’s 27 member states.
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