EU May Take Action Against Israel if Conditions in Gaza Do Not Improve

Brussels (Quds News Network)- The EU may take action to increase pressure on Israel unless there are “concrete improvements” for the people of Gaza, its foreign policy chief said on Monday, adding it was “very clear” that Israel had breached its human rights commitments in Gaza and the West Bank.

After meeting the bloc’s foreign ministers in Brussels, Kaja Kallas said if the situation for Palestinians did not improve, the EU could discuss “further measures and come back to this in July”.

“The concrete question is what then we [the EU] are able to agree?”

“But right now, the most important thing is to improve the situation on the ground, improve the lives of people in Palestine and stop the suffering and also human toll that we see there every day.”

The foreign ministers discussed the EU’s relationship with Israel after a review report presented on Friday by the European External Action Service (EEAS) found “indications” that Israel would be in breach of their obligations in the association agreement with the EU in terms of human rights with their actions in Gaza.

“On the basis of the assessments made by the independent international institutions … there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations,” the audit drafted by the EU’s diplomatic service read.

The audit was launched last month in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, in a push backed by 17 states and spearheaded by the Netherlands.

Lisa Musiol of the International Crisis Group, which works to prevent conflict, said the EU had “missed an important opportunity to make clear to the Israeli government that its policies in Gaza and the West Bank have long crossed a red line and will come at a cost for EU-Israel relations”.

On Monday, only Spain called for outright suspension of the agreement although other strong supporters of the Palestinians – Belgium, Ireland and Sweden – stressed the need for action.

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, also called for an arms embargo.

“The Palestinian Gazans need action and, therefore, the important thing today is not to denounce…we have done it for months. It is not the denunciations that are going to stop this inhumane war in Gaza, it is the actions,” he added.

France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, told reporters that Israel had “clearly violated” article two of the EU-Israel agreement (a clause on human rights) and ministers would “draw the consequences” at their meeting next month.

However, Germany, Greece and Italy were among the countries that voiced opposition to suspending the agreement.

Belgium said the humanitarian situation in Gaza should not be forgotten.

“Some countries may consider that this is not the right time to take measures against Israel, given that Israel is fighting Iran in order to preserve security,” said Belgium’s foreign minister, Maxime Prévot.

“I believe that the two issues must be separated,” he added, urging “that we do not lose sight of the humanitarian emergency”.

Sweden’s foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said the “extremely severe situation” in Gaza should not be forgotten: “People are suffering and we cannot just watch.”

Agnes Bertrand Sanz of Oxfam said: “There are moments in history where delay and distraction are not neutral, it is a decision.”

“While EU ministers continue to debate and defer, entire families in Gaza are being buried under rubble and people are being killed while trying to get food. Every second of delay costs lives.”

The association agreement, which came into force in 2000, underpins a trading relationship worth €68bn (£58bn) between the 27 EU countries and Israel. The bloc is Israel’s largest market, accounting for about a third of its exports.