Germany and Italy rebuff calls to suspend an EU cooperation deal with Israel, despite anger over the war in Lebanon and the situation in the West Bank.
Spain and Ireland had put the issue of halting the June 2000 agreement on the table at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul calls the proposal “inappropriate.”
“We have to talk with Israel about the critical issues,” he says at the start of the meeting, adding: “That has to be done in a critical, constructive dialogue with Israel.”
Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani pushes back as well, saying that “no decision will be taken today.”
Attitudes toward Israel among EU member states, already hardened over its conduct in the war in Gaza, have stiffened further after the Israeli campaign in Lebanon — in response to Hezbollah attacks — and a new law on the death penalty for Palestinian terror convicts in the West Bank.
“We need to act. We need to make sure that our fundamental values are protected,” Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
