EU to review Israel trade pact after Gaza war escalation

Business as usual with Israel cannot continue, EU ministers say

Israeli military vehicles at Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. AFP

The EU on Tuesday said it would launch a review of Israel's human rights obligations under its bilateral agreements as ministers met in outrage over Israeli aggression against Palestinians.

The EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers that there was a "strong majority" for the review, which may lead to a suspension in whole or in part of the EU-Israel agreement.

Human rights standards are enshrined in EU-Israel relations and a review has been described by supporters as a signal of disapproval of the situation in Gaza.

What we do in Gaza also affects the credibility, and if I may say so, the dignity of Europe. It affects how we are perceived in the world

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares

"We will launch this exercise, and in the meantime, it is up to Israel to unblock the humanitarian aid," Ms Kallas said at a press conference in Brussels.

The announcement comes after the Netherlands wrote to Ms Kallas asking for a review, citing alarm over warnings of mass famine in Gaza caused by a total blockade enforced by Israel since March 2.

Hard discussions

Ms Kallas predicted "very hard discussions on Gaza" from the outset of the meeting. The bloc is deeply divided over the Middle East conflict, and Germany is among those opposing a review of Israel's human rights obligations. France, Portugal, Sweden and Finland have publicly backed the Dutch request.

Citing international pressure from allies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday allowed a limited amount of aid into Gaza, which Ms Kallas said was not enough. "There are thousands of trucks behind the borders waiting," she said. "It is European money that has funded this humanitarian aid and it has to reach the people, because the situation is extremely grave." Five lorries have entered the enclave but the UN says hundreds are needed.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, says the little aid being allowed into Gaza is nowhere near enough. Getty Images

In Brussels, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country was motivated by the need to send a strong signal to Israel about Europe's concern over Gaza – concern shared by some Israeli politicians.

"We're very concerned about the intensified war effort," Mr Veldkamp said. "I also noticed that within Israel itself, concerns about this are really rising in Israeli society, in the Israeli security establishment, armed forces, [and] intelligence services."

Left-wing politician Yair Golan faced backlash in Israel on Tuesday after saying the country was killing babies in Gaza "as a hobby". More than 53,500 Gazans have been killed by Israel, which has waged a war in the enclave since October 2023, after about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas-led attacks.

No blind eye

The review will be conducted by the EU External Action Services, but a proposal for a suspension of the agreement would have to be put forward by the EU Commission, which is presided over by German politician Ursula von der Leyen. It would necessitate a vote from the EU Council to come into effect.

Ms Von der Leyen is believed to oppose suspending the EU-Israel association agreement, but Mr Veldkamp said she hoped she would take a principled stance. "Ms Von der Leyen is a friend of Israel and I consider myself a friend of Israel, too," he said.

"I believe that also, Ms Von der Leyen sees it as very important that Europe gives a clear signal to Israel now about the concern that we're having in Europe, also in our societies and politics, about the humanitarian situation the Gaza Strip and the intensified Israeli war effort."

Speaking to French radio France Inter, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his country had shifted position on a review from "reserved" to staunch support because of "images of women and children coming out from Gaza". Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel also said he supported the move. "It is time to tell Israel that we will not remain inactive and that we will not turn a blind eye," Mr Bettel said.

The war has led to Israel's diplomatic isolation, Mr Barrot said, highlighting US President Donald Trump's recent tour of the Middle East that excluded Israel. "It's not guaranteed to always be protected by the strong, so it's in Israel's interest to return to the respect of international law," he added.

Lorries carrying aid wait to enter the Gaza Strip from Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday. AFP

France, Canada and the UK have threatened Israel with "concrete actions" if Israel does not fully lift the blockade on Gaza and pursues its military offensive. Israeli officials have said they want to conquer Gaza and occupy it militarily.

Several European countries said business as usual with Israel could not continue. Spain's Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares said: "The time for words is over. There must be action to stop Israel's war in Gaza and to break Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza. What we do in Gaza also affects the credibility, and if I may say so, the dignity of Europe. It affects how we are perceived in the world."

Spain was among the first, along with Ireland, to call last year for a review of article two of the EU-Israel association agreement. The request was ignored at the time due to insufficient political backing from other EU countries.

Neale Richmond, Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, said European countries had "eyes and ears" that allowed them to understand it was time to launch a review.

"Starving families are being murdered every day," Mr Richmond said. "This is not acceptable, and it's clearly now time for the EU to look at the EU-Israel trade association and the very clear breaches of the human rights under Article Two."

Neale Richmond, Ireland's International Development and Diaspora Minister, said ‘starving families are being murdered every day' in Gaza. EPA