Josep Borrell is about to leave the reins of European diplomacy, but he seems willing to take advantage of until the last moment to try to make progress in one of the conflicts that worries him most, that of the Middle East. In what should be his last Foreign Affairs Council as high representative for EU Foreign Policy, next Monday, the Spaniard will present a formal proposal for the Twenty-Seven to suspend political dialogue with Israel due to the actions of the Benjamin Government Netanyahu on human rights, something that has been studied since the beginning of the year and that they demanded again less than a month ago.
“I am going to present a proposal for the EU to invoke the human rights clause to suspend the political dialogue with Israel and I will propose to the Council a decision to this effect,” Borrell advances in a letter sent to the EU foreign ministers in view of to Monday’s meeting in Brussels. In a second letter, which EL PAÍS has been able to consult, he also explains his plans and motivations to the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
Political dialogue is the key piece of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel, the main instrument of bilateral political and commercial exchanges since its entry into force in 2000. Therefore, it is one of the main levers of pressure that the Twenty-seven—who are the Jewish State’s main trading partner—before Netanyahu to try to achieve the immediate ceasefire that the community bloc demands as a basis for a solution to the conflict.
Respect for human rights and democratic principles are a fundamental condition of the agreement. In mid-February, Spain and Ireland wrote to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, demanding that the human rights situation in Israel be analyzed to see if the Jewish State “is failing to comply” with its commitments on the matter, a request that the German has.
But since the summer, especially after the opinion issued in July by the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ), which considered that the control exercised by Israel “violates international laws”, the tone has been hardening in Brussels. , as patience also ran out in the face of the silence of the head of the European Executive. Finally, Borrell announced his intention to discuss the Spanish and Irish demand at the Foreign Council this Monday, but now he goes even one step further and directly proposes that action be taken, suspending the political dialogue.
As he explains in his letter, to date Israel “has not responded sufficiently” to the concerns expressed by the EU regarding “possible violations” of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Borrell refers, among others, to “a population in need” or “Israel’s obligation to put an end to the violence of extremist settlers” in the West Bank, several of whom have been sanctioned this last year for the first time by the EU.
“The risk of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, especially in northern Gaza, when added to the above elements, creates a special urgency to react within the framework of Article 79(2) of the Association Agreement,” it adds. the head of European diplomacy. This article provides that “if one of the parties considers that the other has not fulfilled an obligation of the agreement, it may take appropriate measures.”
Members opposite
It is difficult for the proposal to succeed, given that there is a core of countries – especially Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary – that are strongly opposed to a clear condemnation of Israel’s actions in retaliation for the terrorist attacks by Hamas. on October 7 of last year that unleashed the new conflict. Still, even Israel’s staunchest allies within the EU have been hardening their tone, as seen at the last formal summit of European leaders in mid-October.
At this meeting, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, demanded that the European Commission prepare once and for all the report that evaluates the treatment of human rights by the Netanyahu Government. During the summit, the demand, which was joined by the Irish Prime Minister, Simon Harris, received a who, although this point was not in the conclusions of the meeting, revealed that the issue had been discussed for the first time in an explicit among European leaders. And he expressed confidence that the debate would continue “in the coming weeks.”
The moment seems to have arrived. Aware of the many suspicions that he is going to encounter, Borrell emphasizes that it is not a total slamming of the door on Israel. “The suspension of political dialogue does not automatically suspend the meetings of the Association Council,” he recalls in his letter. In fact, he adds, Israel “has the right to discuss this measure at the next meeting of the Association Agreement”, for which he proposes that it be held “at the beginning of 2025”. The date is not coincidental: if this meeting has not been held until now, it is due to Israel’s implicit refusal to negotiate with the EU while Borrell, whom it has harshly criticized, continues to lead its foreign policy. The Spaniard should hand over command to the Estonian Kaja Kallas at the beginning of December, the new commissioners decide.
