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The EU is suspending payments to Israel and proposing sanctions on ‘extremist’ Israeli ministers
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Israel insists it will ‘target enemies everywhere’
The European Union is set to suspend all financial support for Israel as a result of the country’s actions in the Gaza Strip, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday.
“We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold,” she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
“What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic.”
Exemptions will be made for EU payments which support Israeli civil society initiatives and the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum.
Since the deadly attack on Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups on October 7, 2023, which saw around 1,200 Israelis killed and another 250 taken hostage, Israeli retaliation in Gaza has killed more than 64,500 Palestinians and effectively razed the coastal enclave to the ground amid famine.
“Man-made famine can never be a weapon of war,” said Von der Leyen, also proposing “a partial suspension” of the so-called Association Agreement which has underpinned political and economic relations between Israel and the EU since 2000.
“For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity, this must stop. What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable. Europe must lead the way, just as it has done before.”
EU to propose sanctions on ‘extremist’ Israeli ministers
In addition to the suspension of bilateral payments to Israel (see below), EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also proposed “sanctions on extremist [Israeli] ministers and on violent settlers.”
Members of the Israeli government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, are themselves settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and vocal advocates of continuing and expanding illegal Israeli settlements in the region.
Israeli settlers, often armed with firearms, have frequently been involved in deadly disputes with local Palestinians over the settlements.
Israel: ‘Europe is sending the wrong message’
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called remarks by Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday morning “regrettable” and accused the EU Commission President of “echo[ing] the false propaganda of Hamas and its partners.”
Saar was referring to EU proposals to partially suspend trade agreements with Israel and sanction “extremist” ministers over the war in Gaza and illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank (see below).
“Once again, Europe is sending the wrong message, which strengthens Hamas and the radical axis in the Middle East,” claimed Saar.
EU sanctions on Israel: the view from Germany
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed suspending financial support for Israel and sanctioning “extremist” Israeli ministers (see earlier), but acknowledged that not all European Union member states will be on the same page.
“You know our basic stance on the Israeli state, and nothing has changed,” a German government spokesperson told journalists during a regular press conference in Berlin on Wednesday — a reiteration of fundamental German support for Israel.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the government has “taken note” of the EU proposals and will engage in “dialogue” with other member states.
“The Commission president made clear she will seek dialogue with member states on details of her proposals,” he said. “We are waiting for that. We will of course participate in this dialogue and we are already engaged in ongoing dialogue on appropriate measures within the framework of the EU.”
The head of Germany’s opposition Green Party, however, was more emphatic.
“The suspension of bilateral funding – with the exception of support for civil initiatives and [Holocaust museum] Yad Vashem – is the right step to increase pressure on the Israeli government without endangering important cooperation with civil society in Israel,” Franziska Branter told the dpa news agency.
“The German government must not block joint European action and must pave the away for the suspension of trade agreements as well as sanctions against extremist ministers and violent settlers.”
Earlier on Wednesday, and prior to von der Leyen’s announcement, Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD), the junior party in the governing coalition led by the conservative CDU, also criticized the Israeli strike on Qatar, saying it undermined ceasefire negotiations.
“The negotiations were clearly close to a breakthrough,” SPD foreign policy spokesman Adis Ahmetovic told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. “Israel’s attack on Hamas officials in Doha endangers not only the chances of a ceasefire but also the efforts to free the remaining Israeli hostages and alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation for Palestinians in Gaza.”
Ahmetovic claimed the German government was increasingly at risk of international isolation, saying: “The Israeli attack undermines the vital mediation efforts of the international community. The German government has repeatedly emphasized the importance of de-escalation and diplomacy. This must also apply to Israel.”
Source: DW.com
