EU ministers reject suspension of dialogue with Israel – DW – 18-11-2024

European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday but did not support pausing the bloc’s diplomatic dialogue with Israel as proposed by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Before the meeting, Borrell said such a move would aim to put pressure on the Israeli government after it ignored several pleas to adhere to international law in the war in the Gaza Strip.

After repeatedly criticizing Israel over the past year in unusually strong terms by the standards of European leaders, the Spanish politician told reporters before the meeting that he had “run out of words” for the situation in Gaza.

“About 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza, the entire area is being destroyed and 70% of the people killed are women or children,” he said.

The proposal, which was seen as Borrell’s farewell before he left office, was widely seen as unlikely to be accepted by ministers and would require a unanimous decision from all 27 member states.

Resistance to proposal

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp was among those who disagreed with the proposal, saying the EU should remain in dialogue with Israel amid wider tensions in the Middle East.

Germany also signaled its opposition in advance, while Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic all seemed certain to oppose the move.

The EU’s political dialogue with Israel is governed by the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides for regular exchanges to strengthen the partnership.

However, it also states that relations between the parties are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which Borrell has said may not have been respected by Israel.

Spain and Ireland have also proposed revising the agreement with Israel.

But EU diplomats had also stressed that suspending institutional political dialogue does not mean suspending the agreement or the Association Council, which is responsible for relations between the two sides.

Proposed import ban

Borrell also wanted to introduce a ban on the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The settlements are illegal under international law.

Ministers at Monday’s meeting approved new sanctions on Iran for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

Borrell also said ahead of the meeting that he hoped EU members would agree to allow Kiev to attack inside Russia with the weapons the bloc has supplied.

“I have said again and again that Ukraine must be able to use the weapons we have provided to them, not only to stop the arrows, but also to be able to hit the archers,” Borrell said.

His comment comes amid reports that US President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles to push deeper into Russia, in a possible response to Moscow’s deployment of thousands of North Korean troops in the war against its neighboring country.

tj/lo (Reuters, dpa)