Hungary has so far blocked any initiative to sanction Israel. A proposal calling to suspend the  EU-Israel Association Agreement is likely to be brought again by some member states, including Spain, Ireland and Slovania.

In one of his first moves, the new Hungarian leader  spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Miniuster Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him to Budapest.

Will the new Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar drop his  country’s opposition to sanctions against Israel ? This is the question that can be asked ahead of Tuesday’s meeting of the 27 EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg.

A proposal to sanction Israel by calling to suspend the  EU-Israel Association Council is likely to be brought again by some member states, including Spain, Ireland and Slovania.

Already last October, in the framework of the war in Gaza, such sanctions were put on the table of the Foreign Affairs Council but could never be adopted due to the opposition of Hungary, one of the most pro-Israel countries in the EU, under outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The fact that Orbán was defeated last week after 16 yars in power, during the parliament  elections by Péter Magyar, a pro-Eu politician and former member of the European Parliament, erases a crucial buffer preventing the majority of EU member states seeking sanctions against Jerusalem. Some mesures such as suspending part of the EU-Association Agreement requires a qualified majority, while the proposed sanctions against two ministers of Netanyahu’s government or against ‘’violent settlers’’ in Judea and Samaria needs unanimity.

The E.U.-Israel Association Agreemen, which  governs trade and political ties between Israel and the EU, entered into force in 2000.

During a visit to Washington last week, Dubravka Šuica, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, stressed that “Israel is our very good partner and partner in trade, science,  technology,  education.’’

At the same time, “we have some issues,” she added.

Among the main issues of disagreement between the two parties is the Palestinian question and in particular Israel’s policy in the West Bank and in  particular the two-state solution which is at the center of EU’s policy regarding the Middle East.

But other EU countries such as Germany and the Czech Republic have so far also followed Hungary in pushing back on sanctions against Israel.

The  the question remains : how will the newly elected Prime Minister react towards Israel within the EU is still unknown. While he plegded to maintain strong relations between Hungary and Israel, both politically and economically, Magyar said he will look at each Israel-related issue on its merits and could no longer pledge a reflexive Hungarian veto.

The new Hungarian Prime Minister, in one of his first moves last week,  spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Miniuster Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him to Budapest, to participate in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian revolution, according to the Israeli foreign ministry. ”They held  a “warm” introductory conversation, the ministry said. Netanyahu accepted the invitation and invited Magyar to a meeting in Jerusalem, where members of the two governments will hold discussions.

The Israeli Prime Minister also expressed his conviction that the warm relations established with outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will continue during Magyar’s term as prime minister.

But Magyar has said he would reverse the Orbán government’s decision to take Hungary out of the International Criminal Court for its prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The  new government under Péter Magyar has still to be formed and is likely to assume power only in the beginning of May. 

‘’Let’s see what ministers will raise on Tuesday. As you have seen, the EU U has been quite clear in its statement against the vote of Israel’s Knesset on the introduction the death penalty (for Palestinian terrorists, on settlement activity in the West Bank on the situation in Gaza,’’ a senior Eu official said.

Tuesday’s Foreign Affairs Council will also discuss Iran and Lebanon with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expected to meet the 27 ministers.

‘’The ministers will have a chance to exchange on how to further support Lebanon in the very challenging situation they are in,’’ an senior EU official said.

‘’The EU has been a continued supporter of  Lebanon and of course is keen to continue as much as possible,’’ he added.