In an opinion piece published by Al Jazeera on Sept. 17, an impressive list of 376 former ambassadors (EU or member states) calls on the EU and on EU member states to impose sanctions on Israel and its leadership. While the full text is a must-read, here are the concluding paragraphs:
“While noting the European Commission’s newly announced proposals for limited measures against Israel, our conviction is that the EU’s institutions and its Member States must act far more decisively to uphold international law and protect human rights, notably by suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, ceasing the export and import of arms and military equipment, banning imports from Israel’s illegal settlements, restricting access to EU co-financed programs, and urging Israel’s other key trade partners, including in the Global South, to follow suit. They must also impose immediate targeted sanctions on Israel’s political and military leadership and all those complicit in and responsible for war crimes, ensuring accountability.
“In addition, we urge the 13 EU Member States that have not yet done so to join both the 147 UN Member States who have already recognized the State of Palestine, and those who have announced they will do so at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly meeting, including France, Belgium, Malta, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Furthermore, the EU must demonstrate political and diplomatic leadership within all UN bodies and in partnerships with the Global South, Arab States and regional powers, to pressure Israel into compliance with its international obligations.
“It must also support and strengthen the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution [the Franco-Saudi initiative], the key platform for a sustainable political solution allowing Palestinians and Israelis to coexist in peace and security, and demand that the U.S. rescind decisions preventing official representatives of Palestine and the UN from engaging in dialogue at the United Nations General Assembly.”
