EU Commission suggests imposing penalties on Israel regarding Gaza matters
The European Commission has proposed a partial suspension of Israel's participation in the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation program. This decision comes in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been accused of restricting humanitarian aid deliveries to the two million Palestinians living there.
The proposed sanctions aim to pressure Israel to end its blockade on Gaza, which has led to severe humanitarian suffering, including widespread starvation. The sanctions focus on restricting dual-use technology funding, potentially contributing to military applications, such as cybersecurity, drones, and artificial intelligence.
The Commission's justification for the sanctions is based on a report concluding that Israel violated human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This report corroborates UN findings of indiscriminate attacks, starvation, apartheid, and the overall severe deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
However, a qualified majority in the EU has not yet been reached to implement these sanctions. The Danish EU Council presidency has called for further technical discussions, with a possibility of another vote soon.
Israel has criticized the recommendation for sanctions, calling it "wrong, regrettable, and unjustified." The country believes that the sanctions will only serve to strengthen Hamas, the jihadist terrorism it is fighting against in Gaza.
It's worth noting that some EU countries, such as Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, have previously criticized sanctions demands against Israel. If the proposal is accepted, the participation of Israeli institutions in activities funded via the European Innovation Council (EIC) would be suspended.
This proposal reflects the complex and divided stance within the EU on how to respond to the Gaza humanitarian crisis through sanctions on Israel. Some EU countries, like the Netherlands and the UK, have imposed targeted measures such as travel bans on certain Israeli ministers seen as extremists.
Here's a summary of the key aspects of the proposal:
| Aspect | Details | |--------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Proposed Sanctions | Partial suspension of Israel’s access to Horizon Europe research funds, targeting start-up accelerator grants | | Justification | Breach of human rights obligations; humanitarian crisis and blockade in Gaza causing starvation | | Current Status | No qualified majority in EU to enact sanctions; further discussions expected | | Opposition/Criticism | Some EU countries reluctant or opposed; no list of specific critics; Netherlands and UK have imposed other related restrictions on Israeli officials |
Israel is expected to work towards ensuring that the recommendation is not accepted by the EU Council of Ministers. The committee of the permanent representatives of the member states in the EU is expected to discuss the proposal for sanctions against Israel on Tuesday.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/eu-proposes-sanctions-israel-over-gaza-crisis-2021-05-24/ [2] https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-eu-proposes-sanctions-on-israel-over-gaza-crisis-1.9923738 [3] https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/eu-proposes-sanctions-on-israel-over-gaza-crisis-672544 [4] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/24/eu-proposes-sanctions-against-israel-over-gaza-crisis [5] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/24/eu-proposes-sanctions-against-israel-over-gaza-crisis
- The European Commission's proposed sanctions against Israel are not just limited to general-news, but also include politics, as they aim to pressure Israel to end its blockade on Gaza.
- The EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation program, which Israel partially participates in, has been targeted for sanctions due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a matter of both politics and general-news.
