EU Foreign Ministers meet in Luxembour to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

But Germany rejects the call as “inappropriate” and calls for dialogue with Jerusalem.

Spain, Slovenia and Ireland said Tuesday they are urging the European Union to  suspending the EU-Israel Associaztion Council because of the situation in Gaza, the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and Lebanon, but Germany rejected the call and said  this would be “inappropriate”.

Speaking before a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg, , Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the three countries had formally requested that the issue be placed on the agenda.

“Spain, along with Slovenia and Ireland, has requested that the suspension of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel be discussed and debated today,” he said.

Spain is the most hostile country in the EU towards Israel, together with Ireland.

“I expect every European country to uphold what the International Court of Justice and the UN say on human rights and the defence of international law. Anything different would be a defeat for the European Union,” he added.

In a joint letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the three countries wrote that Israel had taken a series of measures that “contravene human rights and violate international law and international humanitarian law”, adding that it breached the 1995 agreement that outlines political, economic and trade relations between the EU and Israel.

The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2000, overns trade and political relations between the two parties.

The three countries said that calls to Israel to reverse course ‘’had been ignored.’’ The ministers pointed to a  Israeli law approved by the Knesset that would impose the death n Palestinians convicted for terrorism, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israeli settlers acting “with absolute impunity” in the West Bank.

Albares  warned the EU risks losing credibility if it fails to apply the same principles to Israel’s “perpetual war” in the Middle East as it does to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He urged a unified stance, citing human rights clauses in the EU–Israel agreement.

But German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Tuesday expressed his opposition to sanctions against Israel and to the  suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. He called the call by Spain, Ireland and Slovenia  ‘’inappropriate’’ and advocated instead for a constructive dialogue with Israel on all critical issues.

«We have to talk with Israel about the critical issues,» he said as he arrived for the Foreign Affairs Council.

The minister said that the German government was critical of the recent introduction in Israel of the death penalty for those convicted of terrorist murder, and recalled that Berlin had previously warned against taking this step.

He added that his country had a very clear position regarding the violence of Israeli settlers and that it continues to insist that ‘’a two-state solution must be made possible.’’

‘’But that has to be done in a critical, constructive dialogue with Israel. That is what we stand for,’’ Wadephul said.

He also mentioned the ceasefire and the talks between Lebanon. 44What is needed now, are solid agreements for the protection of the civilian population on both sides of the Blue Line, security for UN peacekeepers, as well as lasting peace within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1701,’’ the German minister said.

The 27 EU Foreign Ministers discuss the situation with  Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam  on the sidelines of Tuesday’s meeting.

Suspending the EU-Israel Association Council requires a qualified majority of EU member states.