Ireland and Spain seek ‘urgent review’ of EU-Israel trade deal

In a letter sent to the commission on Wednesday (14 February), Ireland’s Leo Varadkar and Spanish prime minster Pedro Sánchez pointed out that respect for human rights and democratic values was "an essential element" of the trade deal with Israel.

And they urged the European Commission to propose "appropriate measures" if Israel was found to be in breach of the accord.

The European leaders voiced deep concern at "the deteriorating situation in Israel and in Gaza, especially the impact the ongoing conflict is having on innocent Palestinians, especially children and women."

And they said that the attacks committed by Hamas on 7 October cannot justify any breaches of international humanitarian law — especially in the context of the binding provisional measures imposed by the International Court of Justice last month.

"The [Israeli military] response must comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution," they said.

The EU-Israel trade agreement has been in place since June 2000.

But before the last EU-Israel "association council" in October 2022, there was no high-level political dialogue between the two parties for a decade due to a disagreement over the EU’s decision to differentiate Israeli settlements from the rest of Israel.

Despite this, commercial relationships between the EU and Israel recently expanded, including a gas supply agreement signed with Egypt and Israel in 2022 to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In 2022, one-fourth of Israel’s exports went to the EU and about 32 percent of Israel’s imports came from the EU.

Israel and Spain, together with Belgium, have been the most vocal European countries in criticising Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The two leaders also raised concerns about allegations against UNRWA, the UN aid agency in the region, after Israel said some of its local staff in Gaza were involved the 7 October attack.

But Ireland and Spain called on the EU commission, one of the biggest UNRWA donors, to maintain its support.

Spain and Ireland are among the few countries which have not withdrawn their funding over the Israeli accusation.

The two leaders also stresse the need for a political solution to end the conflict, arguing that the EU had a responsibility to "make this a reality".

"The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to make sure this cycle of violence does not repeat itself," they said.

The letter signed by Varadkar and Sánchez adds to similar demands from MEPs in previous months — which were left without a response.

Earlier this month, a small, cross-group party of MEPs repeated calls on the commission to review the Israel trade deal arguing that human rights clauses in trade deals were designed to exert "substantial leverage" and ensure that human rights were respected by the parties.

The Irish-Spanish letter also comes amid EU talks over sanctions on violent Israeli settlers and widespread concerns over Israeli attacks on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million people are sheltering.

"The expanded Israeli military operation in the Rafah area poses a grave and imminent threat that the international community must urgently confront," the two European leaders warned.

The UN warned this week that an Israeli attack on Rafah could "lead to a slaughter".

"The international community has been warning against the dangerous consequences of any ground invasion in Rafah. The government of Israel cannot continue to ignore these calls," the UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement.