More than 400 former senior European diplomats have sent a letter to EU institutions and representatives of the bloc's 27 states in Brussels, urging them to pressure Israel to improve the situation in Gaza as the ceasefire in the enclave enters its second phase.
The letter, viewed by The National, said that "continuing restrictions prevent the full and unhindered provision of humanitarian aid, including shelter and other winterisation support, to destitute and impoverished Palestinians in Gaza".
The EU is the top humanitarian aid donor to Gaza as well as the leading financial supporter of the Palestinian Authority, which has seen the tax revenues collected on its behalf by Israel severely restricted. European gendarmes are deployed at Rafah border crossing which Israel re-opened Monday for a limited number of Palestinians.
Signatories of the letter include former EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell as well as former ambassadors from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Italy.
'Political and economic sanctions'
Former EU ambassador to the Palestinian territories Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff told The National: "Despite the unremitting and continuing violations of international law by the Israeli authorities and IDF, even after the official proclamation of the ceasefire which has been broken hundreds of times by Israel, killing more than 500 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 100 children, the EU was not able to hold Israel to account and take robust measures, including much warranted political and economic sanctions."
The EU found last summer that Israel's conduct during the war had breached a human rights clause enshrined in their bilateral relations. Overall, more than 71,000 died in more than two years of war since the start of Israel's retaliatory military operation on the enclave caused by Hamas-led attacks that killed about 1,200 people.
The EU and its member states should "launch immediately a critical, time limited, dialogue with Israel on the application of the relevant provisions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement", the letter said.
In the absence of a positive Israeli response, the EU should "adopt measures aimed at stopping Israeli excesses and unremitting violations of international law, including suspending the Agreement".
In October, the EU's foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, said that the bloc's 27 foreign affairs ministers had agreed that it was not a good time to move forward with a proposal to sanction extremist Israeli ministers and suspend preferential tariffs at an estimated yearly cost for Israel of €227 million ($265 million). The sanctions remain "on the table", a senior EU official said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers last week, despite Israeli requests for them to be removed.
Seek alliances
However they appear to have not been recently discussed in-depth in Brussels. Sanctions require unanimity and a number of countries in Europe, including Germany, are strongly opposed to the possibility of appearing critical of Israel.
Mr von Burgsdorff said that "if the EU cannot move as a block because of the obstructionist policies of a few member states, those countries wishing to go forward and protect the inalienable right of political self-determination of the Palestinian people as well as their right to live in peace, security and dignity, must seek and build alliances with like-minded partners in the OECD and Global South, and not least in the Middle East".
The letter called on member states to abide by International Court of Justice rulings and opinions on Gaza which effectively demand a ban on military support to Israel and trade with illegal settlements. So far only a handful of EU states, including recently Belgium, have implemented such bans. Israel also continues to build illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank despite an ICJ advisory opinion last year calling for this to stop.
Such breaches require action from Europeans, according to the letter. "A robust approach based on the EU’s founding values and principles will be essential to reestablish the Union’s reputation as a force for peace and good in our time," it said.
