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Sánchez pushes EU break
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he will ask the European Union on Tuesday to break its association agreement with Israel, considering that his government 'violates international law,' announced this Sunday during a campaign rally in Andalusia.
“01:21 01:16 06:51 16:13 01:45 01:19 06:47 20 Minutes with AFP Published on April 19, 2026 at 5:52 PM • Updated on April 19, 2026 at 10:01 PM An announcement that did not please Israel”
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced, in Spanish on X, the 'hypocrisy' of Pedro Sánchez's government, which he accuses of 'anti-Semitism'.
The association agreement between the European Union and Israel, which came into force in 2000, includes a clause making the relationship conditional on respecting human rights.
Spain first questioned this agreement in February 2024, when Pedro Sánchez and the then Irish Prime Minister sent a joint letter to the European Commission asking for an assessment of Israel's compliance with its human rights obligations after the start of the war in Gaza.
Iran war and Europe
Sánchez told an EU summit meeting that the war in Iran is 'interconnected' with conflicts in the Middle East, notably in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, and he called for a unified European response.
Speaking before the meeting, Sánchez described the situation as 'a very decisive moment' for the EU and said Europe must send 'a clear message' indicating that Europe defends multilateralism and international law.
Euronews reported that Sánchez condemned the American and Israeli strikes on Saturday, warning they could worsen regional tensions and "contribute to a more uncertain and hostile international order."
Euronews also quoted Sánchez on X: "We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to making the international order more uncertain and hostile."
Legal pressure and fallout
Le Parisien said an Israeli NGO brought a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging it to examine possible prosecutions against Pedro Sánchez for complicity in 'war crimes' through exports to Iran.
“Spain is witnessing an unprecedented surge in a series of judicial investigations that have touched individuals close to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, turning into one of the most sensitive cases in recent years and sparking wide controversy both at home and abroad, especially as the case has reached Sánchez's wife, his brother, and a number of his former close allies”
The complaint submitted by the Israeli right-wing organization Shurat HaDin accuses Spain of having supplied 'components necessary to the Tehran regime and its allies for military purposes,' and it says Spain approved the export of about €1.3 million in 2024 and 2025 of so-called dual-use components.
Le Parisien reported that relations between Israel and Spain are at their lowest since Madrid's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state, and that both countries have each recalled their respective ambassadors.
Al-Jazeera Net described a parallel domestic pressure campaign, saying the case peaked this week with a court decision prohibiting Begoña Gómez, the prime minister's wife, from leaving Spanish territory, ordering her to surrender her passport and to appear before the court twice a month.
