BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday proposed curbing trade ties with Israel and sanctioning ministers in its strongest action over the war in Gaza, though reluctance from key member states risks blocking the measures’ adoption.
The bloc’s executive however said it would take immediate action by itself by freezing some 20 million euros ($23.7 million) in bilateral support for Israel.
The move from the EU’s executive comes as pressure has mounted on the 27-nation bloc to take action against Israel over its devastating near-two-year offensive in Gaza.
“The horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said.
“There needs to be an immediate ceasefire, unrestrained access for all humanitarian aid, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas,” she said.
Under its new proposals, Brussels is pressing to suspend parts of a cooperation deal with Israel that allow for reduced tariffs on goods coming from the country.
Officials say that would hit more than a third of Israel’s exports to the EU worth around six billion euros, including key agricultural produce such as dates and nuts.
The commission also called for asset freezes and visa bans on far-right Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, whose “extremist” rhetoric is blamed for fueling the violence.
Those measures — initially floated by von der Leyen in a keynote speech last week — represent the firmest attempt by the EU chief to pressure Israel.
“Today marks a critical turning point in holding Israel accountable,” said Irish foreign minister Simon Harris.
But opposition from key member states, especially von der Leyen’s own homeland Germany and Italy, means they will struggle to get the backing of enough EU countries to go through.
That reluctance has already stalled a softer proposal to cut funding to Israeli tech start-ups, much to the ire of the raft of EU countries demanding action.
Von der Leyen’s commission can however decide on its own to freeze bilateral support.
That step will not include funds going to help civil society groups and Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
“Will not work”
Israel has already urged Brussels against pushing on with the proposals.
“Pressure through sanctions will not work,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote in a letter to von der Leyen.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas insisted “the aim is not to punish Israel,” but to try to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The push for action within the EU comes as Israel has drawn fresh international condemnation by launching a major ground assault against Gaza City.
The army unleashed a massive bombardment of Gaza City before dawn on Tuesday and pushed its troops deeper into the Gaza Strip’s largest urban hub.
It came as a United Nations probe accused Israel of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials had incited the crime.
The war was sparked by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’s October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 64,964 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
The Israeli military estimates there are 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas militants in central Gaza City, and that about 40 percent of residents have fled.
EU proposes curbing Israel trade ties, sanctioning ministers over Gaza
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EU proposes curbing Israel trade ties, sanctioning ministers over Gaza
- The bloc’s executive however said it would take immediate action by itself by freezing some $23.7m in bilateral support for Israel
- “The horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop,” von der Leyen said
Cross-border clash breaks out between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid rising tensions
- Border residents say exchange of fire in the Chaman border sector lasted nearly two hours
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan witnessed yet another border clash, according to officials in both countries who spoke in the early hours of Saturday, with each side accusing the other of launching “unprovoked” attacks.
Fighting erupted in Pakistan’s southwestern Chaman border sector, with an AFP report saying that residents on the Afghan side of the frontier reported the exchange of fire began at around 10:30 p.m. (1800 GMT) and continued for roughly two hours.
The incident underscored how tensions remain high between the neighbors, who have seen deadly clashes in recent months despite several rounds of negotiations mediated by Qatar and Türkiye that resulted in a tenuous truce in October.
“There has been unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban elements in the Chaman Sector which is a reckless act that undermines border stability and regional peace,” said a Pakistani security official on condition of anonymity.
“Pakistani troops responded with precision, reinforcing that any violation of our territorial integrity will be met with immediate and decisive action,” he continued.
The official described Pakistan’s response as “proportionate and calibrated” that showed “professionalism even in the face of aggression.”
“The Chaman Sector exchange once again highlights the need for Kabul to rein in undisciplined border elements whose actions are destabilizing Afghanistan’s own international standing,” he added.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have grown increasingly bitter since the Taliban seized power in Kabul following the withdrawal of international forces in August 2021.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban administration of sheltering anti-Pakistan militant groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which have carried out deadly attacks in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan, targeting civilians and security forces.
The Taliban deny the charge, saying Pakistan’s internal security challenges are its own responsibility.
The Pakistani security official said his country remained “committed to peaceful coexistence, but peace cannot be one-sided.”
“Attempts to pressure Pakistan through kinetic adventurism have repeatedly failed and will continue to fail,” he said. “The Chaman response has reaffirmed that message unmistakably.”
He added that Pakistan’s security forces were fully vigilant and that responsibility for any escalation “would solely rest with those who initiated unprovoked fire.”
Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesman for Pakistan’s prime minister, also commented on the clashes in a social media post, saying the Afghan Taliban had “resorted to unprovoked firing along the border.”
“An immediate, befitting and intense response has been given by our armed forces,” he wrote.
Afghan authorities, however, blamed Pakistan for the hostilities.
Border clashes that began in October have killed dozens of people on both sides.
The latest incident comes amid reports of back-channel discussions between the two governments, although neither has publicly acknowledged such talks.
