LUXEMBOURG — Spain, Slovenia and Ireland have urged the European Union to debate suspending its association agreement with Israel. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares spoke before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg and 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," Albares said. "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."

According to a joint letter sent last week to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the three governments said Israel had taken measures that contravene human rights and violate international law and international humanitarian law, and breach the 1995 agreement outlining political, economic and trade relations between the EU and Israel. The letter said repeated appeals to Israel to reverse course had been ignored.

The letter pointed to a proposed Israeli law that would impose the death penalty by hanging on Palestinians convicted in military courts. It cited a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stating that conditions there were unbearable, with continuing violations of the ceasefire agreement and insufficient aid entering the territory. It also warned that violence in the occupied West Bank was intensifying, with settlers acting with absolute impunity alongside ongoing Israeli military operations causing civilian deaths. The ministers wrote that "the European Union can no longer remain on the sidelines," calling for "bold and immediate action" and saying all options should remain on the table.

The three countries argued that Israel was in breach of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which ties relations to respect for human rights. An earlier EU review had found that Israel was failing to meet its obligations under the agreement, and the situation had deteriorated further since then. A Dutch-led initiative triggered an EU assessment that concluded Israel had likely breached its obligations under the pact. Possible trade measures, including suspending parts of the EU-Israel relationship, were discussed but not implemented after Israel pledged to increase humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

Ireland and Spain first pushed for a review of the agreement in 2024, but the effort failed to win enough backing from member states supportive of Israel. Ireland is seeking to revive its Occupied Territories Bill, first introduced in 2018, which would ban trade in goods and services from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Progress on the bill has stalled despite unanimous backing in the Dail, the lower house of Ireland's parliament.

Spain and Slovenia have moved to curb trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. In August 2025, Slovenia banned imports of goods produced in Israeli-occupied territories, becoming one of the first European states to do so. Spain issued a decree banning imports from illegal Israeli settlements, with the measure coming into force at the start of 2026. Spain, Slovenia and Ireland formally recognized the State of Palestine in May 2024.