The European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers will discuss a proposal to suspend political dialogue with Israel over its ongoing war in Gaza during a ministerial meeting Monday in Brussels, reported Reuters.
The EU Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell, has made the proposal during a meeting of ambassadors on Wednesday and will officially submit it during the Foreign Ministers meeting. Ahead of Monday meeting, Borrell said that the EU should put more pressure on Israel.
Concerns over Gaza War
In a statement, Borrell explained that his proposal comes in the light of Israel’s alleged violations of human rights and international law in Gaza. “After a year of unheeded pleas by the Israeli authorities regarding respect for international law in the Gaza war, we cannot continue with business as usual,” he said.
Borrell warned of the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the spread of the conflict into Lebanon. “Northern Gaza, once home to more than one million people, has been emptied completely after several weeks of relentless shelling, destroying the last remaining health centers, shelters and schools,” he said, describing what is happening in North Gaza as “ethnic cleansing.”
Acknowledgement of Failure
In his statement, the top EU diplomat recounted how Israel ignored the international community pleas to respect international humanitarian law, comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and agree to President Joe Biden’s ceasefire proposal. “Looking back, the list of pleas that fell on deaf ears in Israel is now too long to recount,” he said.
Borrell noted that this widespread disregard for international humanitarian law undermines the foundation on which the EU was built, warning that the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East will have repercussions on Europe.
He added: “We can see the warning signs and should not ignore them. Looking forward, we need to acknowledge that the approach we have used for over a year with the Israeli government has failed.”
Urgent Need for Action
Borrell said that Israel should face consequences for its violations of the international law. In the light of this, the EU Foreign Policy Chief proposed imposing sanctions on Israel. “This has to change. This is why I have proposed an import ban on illegal settlement products, based on the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice,” he said.
Furthermore, Borrell proposed suspending political talks with Israel. He said: “I have also requested to the EU special representative for human rights an assessment of Israel’s compliance with its Association Agreement with the EU, which I will present to our Member States soon. Based on this assessment, I will propose to EU Member States to suspend the political dialogue with Israel.”
Entering into force in 2000, the EU-Israel Association Agreement has regulated the relations between the bloc and Israel across various fields. It also states that relations between both sides should be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, according to the German Press Agency (DPA).
EU Internal Divisions
The war in Gaza has pushed some EU countries to suggest scrutinizing the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Spain and Ireland, in particular, have called the European Commission to examine if Israel is respecting its human rights obligations under the agreement.
On the other hand, other EU members, such as Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary, strongly support Israel and are unlikely to back Borrell’s proposal. The suspension of political talks with Israel requires the approval of all 27 EU member states, an unlikely outcome given the divisions within the bloc.
On Thursday, the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, rejected Borrell’s proposal, according to DPA. “We are always in favor of keeping channels of dialogue open. Of course, this also applies to Israel,” the German Foreign Office said in a statement, adding that severing the dialogue could be counterproductive for all parties.
In response to Borrell’s proposal, the Dutch Foreign Minister, Caspar Veldkamp, said on Monday that the EU needs to keep its diplomatic dialogue with Israel, according to Reuters. “In the view of the Netherlands, this door should be kept open,” he said.
Genocide Warning
The war in Gaza has entered its second year, claiming the lives of more than 43,000 Palestinians and displacing 90% of the Strip’s population. All mediation efforts and ceasefire negotiations have proved futile amid a dire humanitarian crisis engulfing Gaza.
In the light of this, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices warned in a new report that Israel’s conduct of war in Gaza is “consistent with the characteristics of genocide.” It further added that “Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population.”
