The European Commission presented its proposal to the Council to suspend certain trade-related provisions of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel. The proposal also includes sanctions on extremist ministers, violent settlers and Hamas. This would affect yearly allocations to Israel, 2025-27.
The EC’s review of Israel’s violation of the Agreement’s Article 2, on the respect for human rights and democratic principles, allows the EU to unilaterally suspend the Agreement. The EU’s announcement of the proposal stated that this “breach refers to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza following the military intervention of Israel, the blockade of humanitarian aid, the intensifying of military operations and the decision of the Israeli authorities to advance the settlement plan in the so-called E1 area of the West Bank, which further undermines the two-state solution.”
