The European Union Council for Foreign Affairs will discuss possible steps against Israel at the next meeting in July unless the situation in the Gaza band does not improve. After Monday’s meeting of the heads of the Member States’ diploma, this was announced by the High EU representative for foreign affairs and security policy Kaja Kallas, he reports TASR based on the Euronews TV report.
Discussions are a response to human rights violations
“Our first goal is to change the situation on the spot. If the situation does not improve, we can discuss further measures and return to them in July,” she said.
Previously, the Minister presented an eight -page report on the review of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel. It states that there are “indications” that Israel has violated its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the Agreement.
Foreign Ministers of Twenty -Seven were expected to respond to a list of violations, including blockade of humanitarian aid, military attacks on hospitals and forced displacement of the population in the Palestinian enclave by Israel.
Israel: The evaluation report is a moral and methodological failure
However, negotiations were held at a time of significant deterioration in the Middle East – only a few hours after the United States joined the Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Although diplomats claim that Iran and war in the Gaza Strip are separate topics, the US military intervention has caused uncertainty in Europe and forces the EU to respond cautiously, writes Euronews. One of the diplomats said that European countries “are trying to find out how to stand up for development”.
Israel refused the evaluation report sharply and described it as “moral and methodological failure”. However, if the situation in the Gaza band does not improve, it will be according to diplomats on Kallas to examine the possibilities of suspension of the agreement together with the European Commission.
Kallas: Today was the beginning of the debate and not its end
The complete suspension of the agreement is probably out of the question, since Member States are not uniform on this issue by such a step, all 27 countries would have to agree. However, according to Euronews, ministers considered a partial suspension of certain areas of the agreement, especially in connection with free trade, research and technology.
Some measures could be taken by a qualified majority (at least 55 percent of Member States representing at least 65 percent of the EU population). “The specific question is what we are able to agree on? … Today was the beginning of the debate and not its end,” Kallas added.
