Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has been among the most vocal European critics of Israel's war in Gaza, said he would ask the European Union to terminate the association agreement with Israel on Tuesday.
He says he is not against the Israeli people, but according to him, Benjamin Netanyahu's government has violated international principles and law and therefore cannot be a partner of the European Union.
"The time has come for the EU to break its association agreement with Israel. We have nothing against the people of Israel, on the contrary. But a government that violates international law, and thus violates the values and principles of the EU - cannot be our partner," the Spanish prime minister said on Sunday.
The Israeli government has hit back at Sanchez, accusing him of hypocrisy and double standards.
"We will not accept a hypocritical lesson from someone who has a relationship with totalitarian regimes that violate human rights, such as Erdogan's Turkey and Maduro's Venezuela," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar posted on X, along with a photo showing a poster of Sanchez's face and his criticism of Israel's war against Iran with an Iranian missile.
Referring to the poster, Sa'ar said the Spanish government had received thanks "from the brutal regime and terrorist organization of Iran," adding that it is "dedicated to spreading anti-Semitism."
Then he replied in Sanchez's words: "We have nothing against the citizens of Spain, on the contrary, but we are against the double standard of the [Pedro Sanchez] government." /Panorama
t7 live
