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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called for increased pressure on Israel.
"I want to make it very clear. The aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to improve the situation in Gaza," said Kaja Kallas. Together with two other commissioners, Kallas presented a new package of measures against Israel.
Last week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced measures against Israel, marking a change of course in the EU Commission. The current proposals are the implementation of this announcement. According to Kallas, the Israeli government's recent decision to launch an offensive in Gaza City is a 'new escalation of the war, further worsening the humanitarian crisis'. The new package of measures by the European Union includes three aspects.
Sanctions against "extremist ministers" and "violent settlers"
The EU foreign policy chief has presented a "clear package of sanctions." It includes sanctions against Hamas terrorists, extremist ministers in the Israeli government, and violent settlers, as well as entities that support impunity in the West Bank.
Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, the US and other Western countries, is responsible for the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli sources, about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage. After the wide-ranging Israeli military offensive, 64,000 people have lost their lives in Gaza.
The EU has imposed sanctions on settlers in the past and is now looking to intensify them. According to information from the EU, the proposal to impose sanctions on two Israeli ministers has been on the table for some time. They are Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. But for these sanctions to come into force, they require the approval of all 27 EU member states, which was previously considered impossible, as the 27 EU member states do not have a unified position on how to deal with Israel.
Partial suspension of some points of trade regulations
The EU Commission has also proposed suspending some trade provisions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. "In practice, this means that imports from Israel to the EU will lose their privileged access to the EU market ," EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic explained at a press conference. These goods would then be treated in the same way as goods from countries with which there is no trade agreement.
According to EU officials, this regulation will apply to 37 percent of all Israeli exports to the EU. In total, the EU imports goods worth almost 16 billion euros from Israel - goods worth 5.8 billion euros will be affected by the measures. According to the EU Commission, the EU is Israel's most important trading partner, while Israel ranks 31st for the EU.
According to EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, it is not just about pure numbers, but also about a "political decision." For this decision to have any effect, a qualified majority of member states, that is, 15 member states representing at least 65 percent of EU citizens, would have to agree.
Measures against Israel have so far failed, due to the German position. The German government has not commented directly on the latest proposals. However, according to several news agencies, a government spokesman stressed that the basic position on Israel has not changed.
Third, the EU Commission will keep payments of EU funds to Israel from the international cooperation fund suspended. According to an EU official, the amount includes about 6 million euros for 2025, which are intended for both partnership programs and regional funding for the implementation of the Abraham Accords. Another 9.5 million euros will be suspended for projects that are in progress. About 20 million euros for the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and other funds for civil society and Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives will not be affected, according to the senior EU official.
Criticism from Israel
The Israeli government has strongly criticized the EU Commission's proposals. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the announcements last week in X as "unfortunate" and accused von der Leyen of repeating Hamas propaganda.
On Wednesday, Saar stepped up his criticism, calling the proposals "morally and politically distorted." Hopefully, they will not be implemented, as has happened so far. "Steps against Israel would be met with appropriate responses," Saar said. But the Israeli side hopes it will not have to take them.
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