Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares sparked controversy within the European Union (EU) after he called on Monday to maintain sanctions against Israel until the ceasefire in Gaza is fully implemented.
Albares told reporters ahead of his participation in a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday: “We have not yet made significant progress regarding the goals we set. All prisoners and detainees have not yet been released and humanitarian aid has not yet been delivered. This is a completely new phase, and as we have seen, it is very fragile.”
He stressed that the EU is still far from being able to roll back sanctions imposed on Israelis who seize Palestinian land in the West Bank.
The Spanish minister also called for strengthening the EU’s presence in Gaza Strip to ensure the agreement holds, saying, “We cannot allow a permanent conflict that would undermine the ceasefire, hinder the flow of humanitarian aid, and prevent a normal future for Palestinians in Gaza.”
EU potentially open to imposing sanctions
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas meanwhile said that the EU is leaving the door open to imposing sanctions on Israel to maintain its influence to ensure the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
“The ceasefire has changed the context—that’s very clear to everyone,” Kallas added after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
“However, unless we see real and sustainable change on the ground, including more aid reaching Gaza, the threat of sanctions will remain,” she said.
Brussels had proposed measures against Israel, including blacklisting ministers and restricting trade ties, before US President Donald Trump reached a ceasefire agreement to end the war in Gaza.
“We’re not taking these measures now, but we’re not taking them off the table either, because the situation is fragile,” Kallas said.
