Politico: The European Union has suspended the strengthening of sanctions against Israel considering them unnecessary after the Gaza agreement!
The European Union’s plans to reduce trade relations with Israel and impose sanctions on ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have been postponed, due in part to the Gaza war and their statements regarding settlements in the West Bank, according to a report published in Politico.
This change in approach came after a group of leading European Union countries concluded that these sanctions were unnecessary in light of the US-brokered agreement that temporarily ended the Gaza war.
According to European diplomats who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, the original move is unlikely to gain sufficient support at meetings of EU foreign ministers and leaders.
Imposing sanctions requires the approval of all 27 member states, and despite mounting pressure on the EU to act, the agreement announced by US President Donald Trump has created divisions among EU countries over how to proceed.
Separate measures to restrict trade could be introduced with the support of a smaller group of countries, but even that now seems unlikely, according to the same diplomats.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her State of the Union address in September to announce her intention to blacklist extremist ministers, impose restrictions on violent West Bank settlers, and suspend trade payments to Israel.
These proposals are scheduled to be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday and at the leaders’ summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
However, draft documents reveal that no agreement has yet been reached.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Bravo, whose country has been pushing for a tougher stance toward Israel, said it was regrettable that the European Union took more than two years to take action against Israel.
“The credibility of the EU’s foreign policy has been severely damaged,” Bravo added.
“Many citizens still find it difficult to understand why the EU is unable to make decisive decisions,” he added.
