Israel violates human rights and international humanitarian law in its military operation in the Gaza Strip. This is pointed out by the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell has suggested that the European Union suspend political dialogue with Israel because of possible human rights abuses in the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The DPA and Reuters agencies reported on this on Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources.
Based on assessments by independent international agencies, Borrell expressed serious concerns that Israel is violating human rights and international humanitarian law in its military operation in the Gaza Strip. According to the head of EU diplomacy, Israel “has not dealt with these concerns sufficiently so far”.
The proposal that Borrell presented to the ambassador on Wednesday will be discussed by the ministers of foreign affairs of EU member states at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, DPA wrote.
Association agreement
The political dialogue between the EU and Israel is governed by the so-called Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2000. The agreement states that relations between the two parties are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.
The proposed suspension of political dialogue requires the consent of all 27 EU member states, which diplomats say is highly unlikely. Several countries raised objections to the proposal on Wednesday, three diplomats told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
According to one of the diplomats, Borrell wants to send a clear signal of concern about Israel’s progress in the war in the Gaza Strip.
Children and women among the victims
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said last week that it had verified 8,113 of the more than 34,500 casualties in the first seven months of the more than year-long war in the Gaza Strip, and “almost 70 percent of them were children and women.” OHCHR this condemned the fact as a “systematic violation of the basic principles of international humanitarian law”. Israel denied this.
The EU fails to take a unified position on the war in the Gaza Strip, which broke out after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Some countries, such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, stand firmly behind Israel, while Spain and Ireland, for example, emphasize their support for the Palestinians .
