MEPs call for emergency EU meeting on sanctioning Israel

The National

24-07-2025

In a letter sent to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, members have demanded a meeting be convened immediately following continuing Israeli attacks on Palestinians at aid sites.
They said the recent EU-Israel aid agreement delivered "no tangible change" in conditions on the ground, highlighting that as children die of starvation EU responds with "weak words and no action."
"We are writing to you today to demand immediate action is taken given the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza and the continued Israeli attacks on Palestinians at aid distribution sites which have so far resulted in the deaths of over 1000 people," the MEPs wrote.
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"Let us be clear, history will not look kindly on the EU's silence and complicity in the face of starvation and genocide in Gaza and European citizens are using their voices to demand real action. As their elected representatives, we put it to you that there can be no more double standards, no more silence and no more complicity."
The MEPs demanded adoption of a full suite of sanctions against Israel, sanctions on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and individuals within the organisation, formal proposal of measures following the review of EU-Israel Association Agreement and lobbying member states to implement a two-way arms embargo.
The letter went on: "Every day we do not take action is another day where Palestinians in Gaza are left to starve or be killed. Action is needed now."
Last week Amnesty International branded the EU's decision to stand by a trade deal with Israel as "one of the most disgraceful moments in the EU's history".
The EU-Israel Association Agreement is a trade and cooperation deal that gives Israel preferential access to the EU market.
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At a meeting in Brussels, member states were presented with 10 options, including full suspension of the agreement, an arms embargo, sanctions on Israeli ministers, halting visa-free travel for Israeli citizens to the EU, and banning trade with Israeli settlements.
However, none of the options gathered the necessary support during the meeting.
Human rights organisation Global Witness also said earlier this month the EU is risking a breach of international law over a gas deal with Israel.
The international NGO has claimed the deal "tramples over Palestinian rights" and helps "bankroll Israel's genocide in Gaza".
The gas deal was signed in 2022 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as the EU took a clear stance on ending "the era of Russian fossil fuels" and sought to diversify its gas supply.
According to Israel's energy ministry, the agreement enables substantial Israeli gas exports to Europe.
The route for this gas to be exported from Israel to the EU relies on a pipeline, operated in part by a subsidiary of US oil giant Chevron, which crosses Palestinian territory without regard for international conventions.
The deal signed between Israel, Egypt and the EU, which has come up for renewal this June, is likely to make the EU complicit in breaches of international law, the Global Witness investigation said.