The European Commission proposes sanctions against Israel for the Gaza War. Targets: Trade and two extremist ministers in Netanyahu government
Kaja Kallas. Photo: Michailidis / Euc / Zuma Press / Profimedia
The proposed taxes and sanctions mark the most serious break in the relations between the EU and Israel in recent decades and significantly reduce a large exchange agreement concluded in 2000, I write Reuters and Polito.
The representative of EU Diplomacy Kaja Kallas revealed plans to reduce commercial relations with Israel and sanction high government officials following findings on violation of human rights in Gaza, a major change in the European approach.
The measures planned by the European Commission, which must still be approved by the member countries, aim at the imposition of customs duties on some imported goods from Israel worth about 5.8 billion euros, as well as the sanction of two members of the Government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, known for their intransigence position: the Minister of National Security, Bezalel Smotrich.
Israel reacted angrily to proposals, Foreign Minister Gideon to accuse the chairman of the commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of encouraging terrorist groups.
“It is deeply disturbing that, by promoting such a proposal, encouraged in practice a terrorist organization responsible for committing atrocious crimes and continues to commit them,” he wrote in a letter obtained by Politico.
As part of the package announced on Wednesday, the EU also wants to suspend about 20 million euros from the direct support granted to various Israeli projects, according to senior EU officials.
“I want to be very clear. The purpose is not to punish Israel. The purpose is to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Kallas said at a press conference in Brussels.
Von Der Leyen intends to impose measures against Israel after months of pressure from EU leaders, political groups and even employees of European institutions who signed open letters in which they urged him to sanction Israel for the Gaza War.
The proposed taxes and sanctions, which Von Der Leyen first reported in a speech addressed to the European Parliament last week, mark the most serious break in the relations between the EU and Israel for the last decades and significantly reduce a large exchange agreement concluded in 2000.
Even so, if they are adopted, the proposed measures would be rather symbolic than economically devastating for Israel, aimed at only 37% of total exports to the community bloc and leaving the trade with services and financial transactions.
The EU is the main commercial partner of Israel.
