Germany rejects calls for suspension of EU-Israel cooperation

Germany has dismissed calls to suspend the EU's cooperation deal with Israel, despite rising anger over the war in Lebanon and the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Spain and Ireland had put the issue of halting the agreement back on the table at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called the proposal "inappropriate," saying at the start of the meeting: "We have to talk with Israel about the critical issues." 

"That has to be done in a critical, constructive dialogue with Israel. That is what we stand for," Wadephul said.

Attitudes toward Israel among EU member states, already strained by Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, have hardened further amid the ongoing Israeli invasion of Lebanon and a new law passed on the death penalty for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"We need to act. We need to make sure that our fundamental values are protected," Irish foreign minister Helen McEntee said.

The EU last year put on the table a raft of potential measures to punish Israel, including cutting trade ties or sanctioning government ministers. So far, none of the steps have garnered enough support from member states to be enacted.

Suspending the entirety of the EU's cooperation agreement, as Spain and Ireland are pushing for, would require unanimity among the bloc's 27 countries, and would almost certainly be blocked by allies of Israel.