<h6><strong>Eduardo González/Ane Barcos</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, announced this Tuesday that the European Commission will begin a formal review process of the Association Agreement with Israel with the aim of pressuring the country to facilitate the unrestricted passage of humanitarian aid to Gaza.</strong></h4> Kallas made this announcement in Brussels at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting and after Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced that Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Luxembourg had asked the High Representative to review the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel for non-compliance with Article 2 on human rights. In the press conference following the FAC, Kallas described the situation in Gaza as "catastrophic" and noted that the aid Israel has allowed in so far is "a drop in the ocean." She insisted that assistance must flow "immediately, unhindered, and on a large scale," as this is what is truly needed. Kallas also confirmed that "there is a large majority in favor of reviewing Article 2 of the Association Agreement with Israel" and that the European Union will formally initiate the process. However, she emphasized that while this review is underway, "it is Israel's responsibility to unblock humanitarian aid," and that "saving lives must be our top priority." The High Representative also clarified that, although sanctions against Israeli settlers were discussed, they did not advance because "unfortunately, a Member State blocked them." Regarding the timeframe for completing the review, she did not offer a specific date, although she expressed hope that the situation would improve during the process. Ultimately, this review represents a significant political signal from the EU to pressure Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid in the face of the serious crisis in Gaza. <h5><strong>Albares</strong></h5> In statements to the press before the start of the FAC, Albares reported that, "along with three other EU colleagues," he had sent "a letter to Kaja Kallas requesting a review of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel based on Article 2 of that agreement, which states that the relationship between the EU and Israel must be based on respect for human rights." According to Albares, what is happening in Gaza is "too serious," with "a military operation that makes no sense, unless they want to turn Gaza into an immense cemetery," and "a deliberate action by Israel to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid and, therefore, provoke "an induced famine." Therefore, he warned, "the time for words, declarations, and demands is over" and "the time for action has now come." "The EU must act, and it must act with all its available instruments to exert all its diplomatic pressure on Israel" so that it puts "an end to this war and allows access to humanitarian aid without any impediment," he continued. "We cannot tolerate what is happening for one more minute," he insisted. "We are leading this debate and this awareness-raising, and we would like for this to also be an EU action from now on," he added. The proposal to revise the Association Agreement with Israel was put forward in February 2024 by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and then-Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Since then, according to Albares, "four countries now support it," and he "knows that many countries are already on the list and in line with Spain." Specifically, Sánchez and Varadkar asked the European Commission to undertake "an urgent assessment" of Israel's compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The Prime Minister reiterated this during the European Council meeting in October 2024. "I have requested a review of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel if violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are ultimately found in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon," he told the press. Last February, the thirteenth meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council was held in Brussels, where a declaration was adopted that, according to Albares, reflected "the points that Spain has been advocating for months practically alone," such as the two-state solution, the defense of human rights, respect for international courts and their decisions, the rejection of forced displacement, and support for the work of NGOs and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). <h5><strong>Ukraine</strong></h5> Furthermore, Albares also referred to the two-hour telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Putin reportedly pledged (in the words of Putin) to immediately begin "negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly, toward an end to the war" in Ukraine. "I hope it's true," the minister declared. "Of course, we are willing to support any genuine ceasefire or peace proposal," he continued. However, he warned, it is necessary "to be sure that we all give the same meaning to the word peace." "It must be a just peace, a peace that respects the principles of the United Nations Charter of Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom, and democracy, and a lasting peace. It cannot be a parenthesis between two wars, nor can it be a pause for rearming and attacking again with greater force," he continued. In any case, he declared, "we must not allow ourselves to be distracted by false peace negotiations or false offers of a supposed ceasefire full of conditions, as Russia makes day in and day out, which are nothing more than delaying practices to continue its war of aggression."
