Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday called on the European Union to immediately suspend its association agreement with Israel, following the reported targeting of the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip.
In a post on X, Sanchez said Israel had “Israel is once again violating international law by attacking a civilian flotilla in waters that do not belong to it.”
He added that his government is doing “everything necessary” to protect and assist Spanish citizens detained in the incident, but stressed that this is “not enough”.
He urged the EU to suspend the association agreement with Israel and to demand that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu respect the law of the sea.
The EU–Israel Association Agreement is the main legal framework governing relations between the two sides. It was signed in Brussels in 1995 and came into force in 2000, aiming to strengthen economic, trade and scientific cooperation, and to gradually establish a free trade area.
The agreement states that relations between the parties are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles as an essential element.
Sanchez’s remarks came after the launch of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s Spring 2026 Mission from Sicily, followed by reports that boats carrying activists were targeted in international waters off the island of Crete.
READ: Israeli navy intercepts Gaza aid flotilla amid reported interference near Greece
