Israel is committing serious human rights violations in Gaza
The European Commission has urged its member states to suspend trade privileges with Israel due to the Gaza war.
According to the World News Agency, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas urged member states to impose additional tariffs on some Israeli products.
She appealed to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers and extremist Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gwer and Bezalel Smotrich.
According to the European Commission, the Israeli aggression violates Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which requires respect for human rights and democratic principles.
She cited the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the aid blockade, the intensification of military operations and the approval of the E1 settlement project in the West Bank as reasons for the violation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for an immediate ceasefire, open humanitarian access and the release of hostages, and said bilateral cooperation with Israel would be suspended.
However, the 27 EU member states are not entirely united on the proposal. Spain and Ireland are in favor of economic sanctions and an arms embargo, while Germany and Hungary oppose these measures.
The European Commission’s proposal comes as thousands of people across Europe are protesting against Israel and a United Nations report on Tuesday described Israeli operations in Gaza as genocide.
