Conflict in Gaza: European Commission suggests imposing fresh penalties on Israel
The European Union (EU) has proposed unprecedented sanctions against Israel, marking a significant shift in the relationship between the two parties. The sanctions, proposed by the European Commission on September 17, 2024, are aimed at improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The primary focus of these sanctions would be on the agro-food sector, which accounts for 37% of Israeli exports to the EU. The proposed measures involve increasing the cost of certain Israeli imports by approximately 227 million euros.
It is important to note that these sanctions are separate from the recent reports of panic in Gaza following Israel's massive strikes.
The EU's main trading partner is Israel, with exports reaching 15.9 billion euros last year. However, only 37% of Israeli imports to the EU would be affected by the proposed sanctions.
The goal of the proposed sanctions, according to the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, is to address the untenable situation in Gaza and bring an end to the ongoing conflict.
However, obtaining an agreement for these sanctions will still be difficult. Diplomats in Brussels suggest that the votes of Germany or Italy, among others, could potentially oppose the introduction of trade measures against Israel in the EU Council.
German representatives, primarily from the CDU/CSU faction, including Tilman Kuban and Jens Spahn, have emphasized Germany’s special responsibility towards Israel and caution against measures that could incite antisemitism. The German government overall has so far rejected suspending the association agreement with Israel and maintains a blocking stance on sanctions.
Despite these challenges, Kallas pleaded for the situation in Gaza to be addressed, stating that the war must stop. The EU official did not provide any information about the impact of the proposed sanctions on the Israeli government or its citizens beyond the increased cost of certain imports.
In a related development, the European Commission had previously targeted Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu's government, for sanctions in August 2024. However, the attempt failed due to a lack of agreement among the 27 member states.
Less ambitious measures, also presented by the European Commission a few weeks ago, were not adopted due to insufficient majority. The votes of Germany or Italy were missing for the adoption of these measures as well.
As the situation in Gaza continues to unfold, the EU's proposed sanctions against Israel represent a significant step towards addressing the ongoing conflict and improving the humanitarian situation in the region.
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