Germany defends EU-Israel agreement as 'important forum' for talks
Without explicitly confirming media reports that Berlin had opposed the review, foreign ministry spokesman Christian Wagner said that "the EU-Israel Association Agreement is an important forum that we must use in order to discuss critical questions" over the situation in the territory.
The review announced yesterday came as some European nations take a tougher line with Israel over the impact of its offensive in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis unfolding there.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said that "a strong majority" of the 27 member states had backed the review.
Diplomats said that 17 countries pressed for the review under an article of the agreement that calls for a respect for human rights, with the Netherlands spearheading the latest push.
On Monday. the leaders of the UK, France and Canada condemned Israel's "egregious actions" in Gaza and warned of joint action if it did not halt its heightened military offensive.
Yesterday, Stefan Kornelius, spokesman for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reiterated Germany's "great concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza" but stopped short of mentioning any possible further action.
Mr Wagner also confirmed that nine German nationals had been evacuated from Gaza "in close coordination with the Israeli government", along with three of their immediate family members.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Israel approves settlement project that could divide West Bank
Israel has given final approval for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy plans for a future Palestinian state. Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades – but was frozen due to US pressure during previous administrations. On Wednesday, the project received final approval from the Planning and Building Committee after the last petitions against it were rejected on August 6. If the process moves quickly, infrastructure work could begin in the next few months and construction of homes could start in around a year. View of an area near Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) The plan includes around 3,500 apartments to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim, far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said during a press conference at the site last Thursday. Mr Smotrich cast the approval as a riposte to western countries that announced their plans to recognise a Palestinian state in recent weeks. 'This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no-one to recognise,' Mr Smotrich told reporters. 'Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state will receive an answer from us on the ground.' The location of E1 is significant because it is one of the last geographical links between Ramallah, in the northern West Bank, and Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. The two cities are 14 miles apart by air, but Palestinians travelling between them must take a wide detour and pass through multiple Israeli checkpoints, adding hours to the journey. The hope for final status negotiations for a Palestinian state was to have the region eventually serve as a direct link between the cities. Peace Now, an organisation that tracks settlement expansion in the West Bank, called the E1 project 'deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution' which is 'guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed'. Israel's plans to expand settlements are part of an increasingly difficult reality for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as the world's attention focuses on the war in Gaza. There have been marked increases in attacks by settlers on Palestinians, evictions from Palestinian towns, and checkpoints that choke freedom of movement, as well as several Palestinian attacks on Israelis. More than 700,000 Israelis now live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel's government is dominated by religious and ultra-nationalist politicians with close ties to the settlement movement. Mr Smotrich, previously a firebrand settler leader and now finance minister, has been granted Cabinet-level authority over settlement policies and vowed to double the settler population in the West Bank. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem and claims it as part of its capital, which is not internationally recognised. It says the West Bank is disputed territory whose fate should be determined through negotiations. Israel withdrew from 21 settlements Gaza in 2005.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Nato defence chiefs hold virtual meeting on Ukraine security guarantees
Italian admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of Nato's Military Committee, said that 32 defence chiefs from across the alliance would hold a video conference as a US-led diplomatic push seeks to end the fighting. US general Alexus Grynkewich, Nato's supreme allied commander in Europe, will take part in the talks, Mr Dragone said on social platform X. US president Donald Trump met last Friday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and on Monday hosted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and prominent European leaders at the White House. Neither meeting delivered concrete progress. Mr Trump is trying to steer Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky towards a settlement more than three years after Russia invaded its neighbour, but there are major obstacles. They include Ukraine's demands for Western-backed military assurances to ensure Russia will not mount another invasion in coming years. "We need strong security guarantees to ensure a truly secure and lasting peace," Mr Zelensky said in a Telegram post on Wednesday after Russian missile and drone strikes hit six regions of Ukraine overnight. Kyiv's European allies are looking to set up a force that could backstop any peace agreement, and a coalition of 30 countries, including European nations, Japan and Australia, have signed up to support the initiative. Military chiefs are figuring out how that security force might work. The role that the US might play in is unclear. Mr Trump has ruled out sending US troops to help defend Ukraine against Russia. Russia has repeatedly said that it would not accept Nato troops in Ukraine. Attacks on civilian areas in Sumy and Odesa overnight into Wednesday injured 15 people, including a family with three small children, Ukrainian authorities said. Mr Zelensky said the strikes "only confirm the need for pressure on Moscow, the need to introduce new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy works to its full potential".
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Nato defence chiefs hold virtual meeting on Ukraine security guarantees
Nato defence chiefs are due to hold a virtual meeting, a senior alliance official said, as countries pushing for an end to Russia's war on Ukraine devise possible future security guarantees for Kyiv that could help forge a peace agreement. Italian admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of Nato's Military Committee, said that 32 defence chiefs from across the alliance would hold a video conference as a US-led diplomatic push seeks to end the fighting. US general Alexus Grynkewich, Nato's supreme allied commander in Europe, will take part in the talks, Mr Dragone said on social platform X. US president Donald Trump met last Friday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and on Monday hosted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and prominent European leaders at the White House. Neither meeting delivered concrete progress. Last night, a drone strike on Okhtyrka in the Sumy region injured 14 people. A family with wounded children – 5 months, 4 years, and 6 years old – sought assistance after the attack. In Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, a glide bomb strike damaged five apartment buildings, and at… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 20, 2025 Mr Trump is trying to steer Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky towards a settlement more than three years after Russia invaded its neighbour, but there are major obstacles. They include Ukraine's demands for Western-backed military assurances to ensure Russia will not mount another invasion in coming years. 'We need strong security guarantees to ensure a truly secure and lasting peace,' Mr Zelensky said in a Telegram post on Wednesday after Russian missile and drone strikes hit six regions of Ukraine overnight. Kyiv's European allies are looking to set up a force that could backstop any peace agreement, and a coalition of 30 countries, including European nations, Japan and Australia, have signed up to support the initiative. Military chiefs are figuring out how that security force might work. The role that the US might play in is unclear. Mr Trump has ruled out sending US troops to help defend Ukraine against Russia. Russia has repeatedly said that it would not accept Nato troops in Ukraine. Attacks on civilian areas in Sumy and Odesa overnight into Wednesday injured 15 people, including a family with three small children, Ukrainian authorities said. Mr Zelensky said the strikes 'only confirm the need for pressure on Moscow, the need to introduce new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy works to its full potential'.
