Germany’s opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, is facing increasing pressure to translate his strong criticism of Israeli actions into concrete policy, notably from his junior coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Two prominent SPD lawmakers have publicly urged the government to halt arms exports to Israel and to support European efforts to suspend the EU’s association agreement with the country.
This internal pressure comes as EU ambassadors convened in brussels to discuss the Gaza crisis.During the meeting, Germany and italy reiterated their stance against utilizing the association agreement as a tool for punitive measures. This opposition effectively creates a “blocking minority,” preventing any such actions from being approved by a vote of EU member states’ representatives.
However, a significant number of EU member states, reportedly around ten, including Belgium, Ireland, Spain, and Luxembourg, expressed support for at least a partial suspension of the agreement with Israel during the discussions, according to an anonymous EU diplomat.