According to the European Commission, Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip violate human rights and, consequently, also breach an association agreement with the European Union that has been in force since the year 2000. For this reason, Brussels has now proposed sanctioning Israel.
The authority, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, recommends that member states partially suspend Israel’s participation in the Horizon Europe research funding program. “While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in the fighting in the Gaza Strip and has fulfilled some of its obligations under the joint agreement on humanitarian aid and access, the situation remains dire,” the Commission said.
Specifically, Israel is accused of having allowed only minimal aid deliveries for the approximately two million Palestinians sealed off in the Gaza Strip in recent months. Unanimity not required for the decision According to the EU Commission, unanimous approval from all member states is not required for the proposed sanctions to take effect. Instead, it is sufficient that 15 out of the 27 EU countries, representing at least 65% of the total EU population, agree to the proposal. Germany, Austria, and Hungary likely to oppose sanctions In an initial response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the proposed sanctions as “flawed, regrettable, and unjustified.”
At a time when Israel is fighting against Hamas' jihadist terrorism, such a decision would only serve to strengthen Hamas, the statement said. Israel added that it would work to ensure the recommendation is not adopted by the EU Council of Ministers. Countries like Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic have recently voiced repeated opposition to sanctions against Israel.
