Spanish PM urges EU members to suspend free trade agreement with Israel
Spain has called on fellow members of the European Union to suspend a free trade deal between the EU and Israel, amid the regime’s ongoing aggression in the Gaza Strip.
Since Tel Aviv launched its genocidal campaign last year, Spain and Ireland have been mounting pressure on the Israeli regime, jointly pushing to restore peace in West Asia.
Since February, both Spain and Ireland have been engaged in diplomatic efforts, touring European capitals and talking with other EU leaders who want a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis that the Israeli regime was in violation of the free trade agreement’s human rights clause.
On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged other EU members to respond to Madrid and Dublin’s call and suspend Brussels’ free trade agreement with Tel Aviv over its ongoing aggression against the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
“The European Commission must respond once and for all to the formal request made by two European countries to suspend the association agreement with Israel if it is found, as everything suggests, that human rights are being violated,” Sanchez said at an event in Barcelona.
The call from Sanchez adds to growing dissonance among member countries on what stance the EU should take on its trade ties with the Israeli regime.
While Spain, Ireland, and Belgium want to suspend the agreement and mount pressure on Tel Aviv through trade sanctions, countries such as Finland, Austria, and Germany are more hesitant.
On 11th October, the Spanish premier called on the international community to stop all arms and ammunitions exports to the zionist occupied lands, following intensified Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
On 12th October, 40 out of the 50 countries contributing troops to the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) condemned recent attacks on the international mission serving under the aegis of the UN and called for an investigation into the Israeli forces’ tank fire on UNIFIL headquarters and its stations along the border in Southern Lebanon.
UNIFIL was created by the UN Security Council in March 1978 to restore and maintain peace and security in Southern Lebanon.
Spain has 676 members of its armed forces serving in the UNIFIL force, which consists of a total of 10,058 peacekeeping troops spread along the border.
On 13th October, the spokesman for the UN chief quoted Antonio Guterres pointing out that the Israeli attacks “may constitute a war crime.”
“UNIFIL personnel and its premises must never be targeted,” Stephane Dujarric said, referring to the blue-helmeted international force.
“Attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law (and) may constitute a war crime.”
Proofreading and editing by Gift Luckson and Hafsat Aleeyu Muye, Editor and Journalist at Neptune Prime
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