The Czech parliament firmly opposes Borrell’s proposal to suspend political dialogue with Israel – Euractiv

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Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has opposed a proposal by the EU’s outgoing top diplomat, Josep Borrell, to suspend political dialogue with Israel over human rights violations in Gaza. EU foreign ministers will discuss this in Brussels on Monday.

Lipavský states that suspending political dialogue with Israel would not achieve any results, and he also questions Borrell, the current High Representative for Foreign Policy Consistency in this area.

“It seems to me that Josep Borrell doesn’t know what he wants,” Lipavský said Czech Press Agency on Friday.

He also pointed to Borrell’s changing attitude, noting that during the Czech EU presidency in the second half of 2022, Borrell had initially blocked efforts to convene an Association Council with Israel, only to later insist on it.

“Now he proposes to suspend the dialogue. This no longer makes sense,” Lipavský said, adding: “I don’t think suspending political dialogue will achieve anything.”

The EU-Israel Association Agreement, signed in 2000, emphasizes human rights and democratic principles as the basis of their relationship. As Euractiv reportedBorrell’s proposal aims to assess Israel’s compliance with these principles.

The proposal requires unanimous support from all 27 EU member states to be adopted, making its adoption unlikely. Along with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria have also expressed strong support for Israel.

The proposal to suspend dialogue with Israel could be Borrell’s last initiative as head of EU diplomacy. He will be replaced in the coming weeks by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

At the request of the Czech Press AgencyLipavský was reluctant to say too much about the approach he expected Kallas to take on the matter.

“Let’s give her the space to present her own approach to this agenda,” he said.

“It is not a simple agenda. It is one of the biggest divisive issues in the EU right now,” the Czech diplomatic chief added.

(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)