Israel protested the move by Madrid and Dublin.

Spain and Ireland have called on the European Union to ‘’urgently review’’ its Association Agreement with Israel to determine whether Israel is complying with its obligations under the agreement to respect human rights and democratic principles with regard to its actions in Gaza.

This call appears in a letter sent  earlier this month to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell by Spanish Prime Minister and Irish Prime Minister, respectively Pedro Sanchez and Leo Varadkar.

“Against the background of the risk of an even greater humanitarian catastrophe (…) we ask that the Commission undertake an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its obligations, including under the EU/Israel Association Agreement, which makes respect for human rights and democratic principles an essential element of the relationship,” the two leaders wrote.

The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which was signed in 1995 and came into force on June 1, 2000, is the legal framework that defines relations between Israel and the European Union in the commercial, political, social and cultural fields.

The EU-Israel Association Council, which reunites the Foreign Minister of Israel and his colleagues from the 27 member states, met in October 2022 in Brussels after a hiatus of ten years due to disagreements on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

“We are deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in Israel and Gaza, and by the impact of the ongoing conflict on innocent Palestinians, especially children and women. Israel’s expanded military operation in the Rafah region constitutes a serious and immediate threat that requires action by the international community”, the two Prime Ministers wrote in the letter to von der Leyen.

The Spanish and Irish leaders expressed concerns over the allegation that staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Palestine may have been involved in the attacks on Israel on 7 October.

“We fully support the decision of UNRWA Commissioner-General [Philippe] Lazzarini to immediately terminate the contracts of those concerned as well as the launching of a comprehensive independent investigation by the UN.”

They added: “At the same time, we have been clear that UNRWA must be allowed to operate to continue its vital work saving lives and addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and that EU support to UNRWA must be maintained.”

They also stressed that the EU “must not lose sight of the pressing need for a political perspective to end the conflict”.

“The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to make sure this cycle of violence does not repeat itself.”