Consensus for sanctioning Israel growing in Europe

World eugazaIsraeltradewar Consensus for sanctioning Israel growing in Europe Demonstration Against Israel In Eurovision In Malmo Relevant News Consensus for sanctioning Israel growing in Europe 24 July 2026 Cyprus races to complete emergency care reform by November deadline 24 July 2026 Things to do on Friday, July 24 24 July 2026 Theodosis Pipis 24 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Consensus is growing in the European Union for clamping down on EU trade with Israeli settlements. In a closed-doors discussion on July 13, EU foreign ministers overwhelmingly backed sanctioning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The discussion followed the European Commission’s presentation of several options to restrict trade with settlements, including the most far-reaching measure: a complete ban on such imports. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that a full ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements received the “most support” from EU foreign ministers during the meeting in Brussels. However, complete unanimity is required for this to pass. Speaking in Cork, Ireland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that EU capitals were the only hold up against further actions, as she noted that the Commission proposed suspending trade preferences under the EU-Israel Association Agreement ten months ago but failed to get the approval of national governments in the Council. “So, you see there a lot of activity going on, but in the Council right now there is no move forward with a solution or an agreement on how to proceed,” von der Leyen said. Compared with 2023–2024, there has been a noticeable shift inside the EU institutions toward a more critical stance on Israel, particularly regarding the implementation of the EU–Israel Association Agreement. Views from Brussels Last October, MEPs from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Party (S&D), the second largest political group of the European Parliament, emphasised the importance of establishing a Palestinian State to ensure long-lasting peace and security. S&D leader Iratxe García insisted that any peace plan should include an end to the ongoing massacre in Gaza, allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, and be based on the two-state solution with the recognition of both Israel and Palestine. Speaking at the plenary the S&D group leader stated: “Genocide can’t be the response to terrorism. You do not defeat terror by killing 67,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, nor by turning Gaza into a wasteland where two million people live without water, medicine, electricity, food or hope.” Moreover, García called on the Commission and EU leaders to listen to citizens from all over Europe who are peacefully urging the European Union to suspend the EU-Israel association agreement, impose sanctions on Netanyahu’s government, implement an arms embargo and support a reconstruction plan for Gaza. A European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), “Justice for Palestine,” collected approximately 1.3 million signatures from EU citizens demanding that the European Commission fully suspends the EU-Israel Association Agreement over documented human rights violations in the Palestinian territories. The 1.3 million signatures are currently undergoing official verification by EU member states. Once they are validated, the organisers will present the initiative at a public hearing in the European Parliament and await an official response from the European Commission. The EU rule book states that in order to propose a brand-new law there is a minimum of one million signatures. Members from across the board have come to call for a stronger European response. “Our longstanding and consistent position is that international law must be applied consistently and equally to all, without selectivity or exceptions,” MEP Giorgos Georgiou of the GUE/NGL group told en.philenews. “The EU–Israel Association Agreement cannot remain in force as long as Israel continues to systematically violate international law, international humanitarian law, and human rights. The human rights clause set out in Article 2 must be applied consistently, not selectively” he said. Antonio López-Istúriz, the European People’s Party’s (EPP) spokesperson underlined that “the Palestinian population in Gaza must be protected and have access to enough food supplies, clean water, medicines, and safe housing.” The Group also condemned Israel’s decision to expand settlements occupied West Bank, calling them illegal and a serious obstacle to peace. The EPP group is the largest political group in the European Parliament with 188 members from all EU member states. Nonetheless, freezing trade and sanctioning Israel still requires unanimity from all 27 EU member states. The next regular foreign ministers’ meeting is due on 12 October and the matter of the review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement is expected to be high on the agenda. What is the EU-Israel Association Agreement? The EU–Israel Association Agreement refers to the trade relationship and cooperation framework between the European Union and Israel. The treaty helps regulate trade and economic cooperation between the two sides. It reduces or removes many tariffs on goods, encourages investment, and supports cooperation in areas such as technology, research, and industry. This system makes it easier for European countries and Israel to buy, sell, and cooperate economically with each other. The EU is one of Israel’s largest trading partners, especially for goods such as machinery, chemicals, technology, and agricultural products. It does not mean that the EU and Israel are part of the same market or customs union, it is simply an agreement between two economic partners. Background The EU–Israel Association Agreement was developed as part of the EU’s wider effort to build closer political and economic relationships with countries in the Mediterranean region. Negotiations began in the 1990s, and the agreement was signed in 1995 and entered into force in 2000. It replaced an earlier cooperation framework and created a more structured partnership covering trade, investment, political dialogue, and cooperation in areas such as science and technology. The agreement established a free trade area for industrial goods and improved access for certain agricultural products, while also creating regular meetings between EU and Israeli officials. Over time, EU–Israel relations have expanded through additional cooperation programmes, although they have also been affected by political disagreements, particularly regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict and issues related to settlements in the occupied territories. Why is suspension discussed? The EU found Israel to be in breach of the human rights clause of the agreement in June 2025. Since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza, following Hamas’ unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of around 250 hostages, Israel’s large-scale military campaign has faced growing criticism. This criticism has come from EU member states, human rights organisations, and a significant number of people around the world. Countries like Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain want to go further by stopping all EU-Israel “association agreement” trade perks on human rights grounds. The UN commission of inquiry, several human rights groups and the world’s leading association of genocide scholars have concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel denies the accusation. 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