Latest news with #AssociationAgreement
Egypt Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Egypt Today
Egypt's FM, Dutch counterpart discuss latest situation in Gaza
CAIRO – 31 May 2025: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty received a phone call from his Dutch counterpart, Mr. Caspar Veldkamp to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and exchange views on recent developments in the Gaza Strip. Ambassador Tamim Khallaf, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Minister Abdelatty praised the strong and multifaceted ties between Egypt and the Netherlands, highlighting Egypt's desire to deepen economic cooperation, attract increased Dutch investment, and expand trade between the two nations. Minister Abdelatty underscored the importance of enhancing collaboration in a wide range of sectors, including logistics and port development, renewable energy, healthcare, digital transformation, infrastructure, financial services, artificial intelligence, education, and scientific research. He also emphasized the significance of joint efforts in the area of migration, including combating illegal migration and exploring pathways for legal migration. The two ministers also discussed maritime security in the Red Sea. Minister Abdelatty reviewed the implications of the recent agreement between Yemen and the United States regarding maritime security and its impact on international trade routes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. For his part, Minister Veldkamp acknowledged the strategic importance of the Suez Canal to Egypt and expressed his readiness to encourage Dutch companies to resume navigation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal, thereby contributing to the restoration of normal shipping operations. The conversation also included an exchange of views on regional developments, with a particular focus on the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Minister Abdelatty expressed his appreciation for the Netherlands' position and the European Union's efforts concerning Israel's adherence to its Association Agreement with the EU. He stressed the need for the international community to uphold international law and reject double standards. He further condemned Israel's recent decision to authorize new settlements and its continued use of starvation tactics against civilians in Gaza, describing these actions as collective punishment and a flagrant violation of international law. Minister Veldkamp reiterated the Netherlands' rejection of Israeli settlement expansion and emphasized the urgent need to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, reaffirming the shared values and positions between Egypt and the Netherlands.
New Statesman
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Statesman
Europe's feeble shift on Gaza
Photo by Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images For the last 20 months, the European Union has had no policy or even a joint position on Israel's destruction of Gaza and the extermination of its population. Some member states like Germany have doubled down on their support for Israel and increased weapons supplies and even backed Israel in the genocide case brought against it by South Africa in the International Court of Justice. Others like Ireland and Spain have been more critical of Israel. But the lack of consensus has paralysed the EU. Yet in recent days as much Western opinion seems to be turning against Israel. Many of those who have been silent for 20 months have suddenly expressed outrage at its actions, and the EU has also finally begun to shift. On 20 May, high representative Kaja Kallas announced that the EU would review the terms of its association agreement with Israel. But even now, divisions between member states mean there is little chance the review will lead to meaningful collective action against Israel. Since Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister, took over as the EU's foreign minister when the new European Commission was formed last year, she has had almost nothing to say about Gaza even as she constantly expresses outrage about Russian actions in Ukraine – the only issue about which she appears to really care. But this month she was finally forced to act by 17 of the bloc's 27 member states who demanded that the European Commission review the association agreement. 'It is clear from today's discussions that there is a strong majority in favour of a review of Article 2 of our Association Agreement with Israel,' Kallas told reporters in Brussels after a meeting of member state foreign ministers. Article 2 of the agreement, which came into force in 2000 and mostly covers economic relations, states that it is 'based on respect for human rights and democratic principles'. The Irish and Spanish prime ministers had already called for an 'urgent review' of the association agreement last February. But European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who as a German Christian Democrat is also an uncritical supporter of Israel, simply ignored their demand. During the last few weeks, however, Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp has assembled a coalition of member states behind a new demand for a review, which has now forced her hand. (It is striking that it is Veldkamp – a minister in a coalition government which includes the far-right Freedom Party led by Geert Wilders – was the driving force. Wilders has an Israeli flag in his office alongside the Dutch flag and sees Israel as the West's first line of defence in a civilisational war with Islam.) Von der Leyen will now have to review the agreement, though the timeline is unclear. But even though Israel's human rights violations have been exhaustively documented – not least by the EU's own special representative for human rights – the EU's labyrinthine decision-making process means that the review is still unlikely to lead to significant action. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe A full suspension of the association agreement is all but impossible because it would require unanimity among member states. Elements of the agreement could be suspended with a qualified majority, but this would be difficult. Much depends on Germany, the largest EU member state, which opposed the review of the association agreement altogether. The new chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed 'concern' about the situation in Gaza and urged Israel to allow aid supplies in but, unlike France and the UK, has stopped short of threatening to take concrete action. The 'action plan' – which implements the association agreement and aims to further develop relations between the EU and Israel – is also currently up for renewal and, because it too requires unanimity, it is possible for one member state could refuse to sign off it and block it. Veldkamp has suggested that the Netherlands might be prepared to do just that. But even this would likely have little impact on cooperation between EU and Israel – and nothing the EU could do would affect weapons supplies, the flow of which are up to member states. What makes the EU's failure to take meaningful action during the last 20 months so glaring is that Israel is exactly the kind of country that the EU ought to be able to influence. It is a small country in what the EU likes to call its 'neighbourhood', and the EU is its largest trading partner. The EU uses tough conditionality to push around similar countries – but not Israel. Moreover, the whole idea of a common European foreign policy goes back to Europe's attempts to develop a joint approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict in the 1970s. These efforts culminated in the Venice Declaration of 1980, which acknowledged a Palestinian right to self-government and went further than the United States was willing to go in recognising the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). After the end of the Cold War, EU member states supported the two-state solution; but, as successive Israeli governments have moved to the right in the last 25 years, the consensus between EU member states has fallen apart. Speaking after the meeting at which the review of the association agreement was announced, the new German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, simply ignored the decision. Instead, he talked up the latest round of sanctions the EU had agreed to impose on Russia, as if Gaza didn't exist: 'As Europeans, as the European Union, we again showed that we can act, we want to act, for the benefit of our freedom. We care about conflicts in our neighbourhood – and we are united.' [See also: Even Peter Mandelson thinks globalisation is dead] Related
Egypt Independent
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Israel is facing unprecedented pressure from allies over its war on Gaza. Can they force it to change its ways?
CNN — After 19 months of pounding Gaza, Israel is now under growing pressure from unlikely quarters – some of its closest Western allies. Their patience has worn thin over Israel's decision to expand the war and, in the words of one Israeli minister, 'conquer' the territory – a move paired with plans to forcibly displace Gaza's entire population to the south and block all humanitarian aid for 11 weeks. The United Kingdom has paused trade talks and sanctioned extremist settlers in the West Bank. Canada and France have threatened sanctions. And the European Union – Israel's biggest trade partner – is reviewing its landmark Association Agreement with the country. Aid groups have warned that the situation in Gaza is becoming catastrophic, with the United Nations' humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher last week calling on the world to 'act decisively to prevent genocide.' Dozens of babies have died of malnutrition, according to Gaza's health ministry, and more than 53,000 people – or four percent of the entire population – have been killed since Israel launched its war following the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas and its allies. The fact that some of Israel's closest allies are now pushing back more vocally marks a major shift in attitudes toward the country. Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN that just two years ago, it would have been unimaginable for Europe to even talk about the possibility of rethinking the Association Agreement. 'It was something that was widely seen as a taboo and unrealistic.' The agreement, which covers various forms of cooperation between the two parties, including the free movement of goods and scientific collaboration, has been in place for 25 years. 'The mere fact that this is being discussed seriously today is a sign of not just the increasing frustration, and I think also, let's be quite clear, anger, in some European capitals over Israeli actions in Gaza,' said Lovatt. Palestinian carry the bodies of their relatives including children who were killed in an Israeli army airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Wednesday. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP The punitive steps threatened by the EU and other allies are designed in part to sway the domestic debate inside Israel, where society is already extremely divided over the war. The government, propped up by hardliners from far-right parties, is determined to keep fighting in Gaza. But hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrate against the war each week, demanding the government agrees a ceasefire deal to release all the hostages still held in the strip. In an opinion poll published by Israel's Channel 12 broadcaster earlier this month, 61% of those surveyed favored ending the war for a deal that secures the hostage release, while only 25% supported the expanded military operation. That notwithstanding, Arie Reich, a legal scholar at Israel's Bar-Ilan University who specializes in international trade and EU law, said that external pressure on Netanyahu's government may not have the desired effect. 'When foreign countries try to interfere in internal matters of another country, especially things that are very dear to them, such as their national security, it usually works as a boomerang, and it actually causes the people to support the government even more,' he said. 'There is a wide consensus in Israel that we want to release our hostages, and that we do not want to go back to where we were on October 6. We don't want to have this threat of Hamas lingering over us,' Reich said. But he added that the moves by some of Israel's allies have made it clear that the 'window of using military force is starting to close.' 'And maybe, if it goes on longer than that, I think it's going to be very hard to maintain normal relations with many countries in the West,' he said. Israel has so far brushed aside the threats from its Western allies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused them of 'offering a huge prize' to the October 7 attackers, while Israel's foreign ministry said that 'external pressure will not divert Israel from its path in the fight for its existence and security against enemies seeking its destruction.' This determination to continue may be due to Netanyahu believing that he can, for now at least, rely on the United States for support. And while the moves are diplomatically symbolic, critics expect little to change on the ground for Palestinians. Omar Barghouti, the co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a global campaign aimed at pressuring Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian land, told CNN that unless Israel's allies totally stop support for Israel, their actions will yield few results. Short of a total arms embargo and a full suspension of economic relations, Israel is unlikely to change its ways, he said, arguing that Canada, France and the UK had been 'complicit' in Israel's actions in Gaza by providing it with 'military, intelligence, economic, and diplomatic support.' All three countries have longstanding agreements with Israel that include defense and security cooperation, although the detail of what exactly these contain is unclear. The UK and France have suspended some arms licenses to Israel over the situation in Gaza but have continued to export military equipment worth tens of millions of dollars to Israel. Canada has said that no export permits on military goods to Israel have been issued since January 8, 2024. Right-wing protesters try to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza on May 21, 2025. John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images Israel's most powerful backer stands by it As Israel's most powerful ally, the US has the most sway over Netanyahu and his government. And while some in the Trump administration have criticized Israel over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, there has been no indication the US would take any punitive actions against it. It isn't, however, a 'foregone conclusion that the US will continue to always unequivocally back Israel,' Lovatt said. 'While I don't see a rupture in relations, clearly, the arrival of the second Trump administration has created an interesting dynamic, given the influence of what I would call the 'America Firsters,' those in the MAGA world who want to put the US first in everything, and that has, to a certain extent, also applied to Israel,' he said. The US has moved out of step with Israel on number of issues in recent weeks. It has struck a ceasefire deal with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels without first informing Israel; unilaterally negotiated with Hamas the release of US citizen Edan Alexander from Gaza; and, according to a Reuters report, has dropped its demand for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel as a condition for US investment and potential US arms deals. Addressing Israel's criticism over the deal with the Houthis, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Israeli media that the US 'isn't required to get permission from Israel' to get an agreement that protects its ships. 'Netanyahu has positioned himself as a master of the US political game, and as someone who's best placed to manage and maintain tight Israel relations and to keep any US presidential administration on side. I think seeing some daylight between the Trump administration and the Israeli government clearly puts pressure on Netanyahu,' Lovatt said. US officials told CNN that US President Donald Trump was growing increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, but stressed these frustrations do not amount to a change in posture in terms of US support for Israel, a country which the president continues to view as one of America's strongest allies. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks to US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office on April 7, are signs that some in Israel are worried about the consequences of its actions in Gaza. The leader of Israel's opposition left-wing Democrats party, retired Israeli general Yair Golan, warned on Tuesday that Israel is 'on its way to becoming a pariah state.' The impact of the pressure from the allies was on display on Sunday, when the Israeli military announced it would allow a 'basic amount of food' to enter Gaza as it launched its new offensive in the strip, which Israel says is intended to pressure Hamas to release the hostages held there. Netanyahu conceded on Monday that if 'a situation of famine' arose in Gaza, Israel 'simply won't receive international support.' In a statement posted to Telegram, he added that even US senators 'who have been staunch, unconditional supporters of Israel for decades' had told him that 'images of mass starvation' in Gaza would cost Israel their support. 'More of a threat' Even if the US won't use its leverage to force Israel to change its strategy in Gaza in a more significant way, it doesn't mean Europe can't put pressure on Israel on its own, experts say. The European Union is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting for roughly a third of its trade in goods. A full suspension of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel is unlikely, as it would require unanimous agreement of all 27 EU member states and several have already indicated they would not support it – including Hungary, a staunch supporter of Israel. Reich said that under the terms of the agreement, both the EU and Israel can terminate it for whatever reason, or even without giving a reason. 'The thing is that within the EU, that would require consensus … and that would be very, very hard, because there are many countries, many (EU) member states that will not go along with this,' he said. 'So I think it's more of a threat to put pressure (on Israel) and maybe they could manage some temporary suspension of some provisions, but to terminate it, I don't think it can happen,' he added. Smoke billows to the north as people flee towards Gaza City on May 19, 2025, amid Israeli evacuation orders and ongoing strikes. Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images Public support for the country runs deep in many of the bloc's member states, which makes it difficult for some European governments to push for harsher sanctions against Israel. And, Lovatt said, many European countries are also aware of the fact that they may need Israel's help in the future. 'Especially in a situation where European countries are increasingly fearful of Russia's actions in Ukraine, but also the threat that Russia represents the rest of Europe, and (they) see Israel as an important source of weapons and technology,' he said. While terminating the association agreement would require unanimity, it would only take a majority of EU states to force through a partial suspension of the agreement. Even that could be painful for Israel because it could lead to higher tariffs on Israeli products or prevent Israel from taking part in coveted EU projects such as the Horizon Europe program, with more than $100 billion in funding available for research and innovation. The EU has in the past used its power to put pressure on countries over human rights abuses – often for issues Lovatt says are a lot less serious than the current situation in Gaza. 'The bottom line is that until now, the EU has treated Israel with a degree of exceptionalism by not taking anywhere near the sort of steps that it has taken in other situations of human rights abuses or territorial annexation,' Lovatt said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As Israel faces diplomatic 'tsunami', Trump is staying quiet
A headline in Israel's liberal daily Ha'aretz this week put it starkly: "Diplomatic tsunami nears," it warned, "as Europe begins to act against Israel's 'complete madness' in Gaza." This week's diplomatic assault has taken many forms, not all of them foreseen. From concerted international condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza, to the shocking murder of two young Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, this has been, to put it mildly, a tumultuous week for the Jewish state. The waves started crashing on Israel's shores on Monday evening, when Britain, France and Canada issued a joint statement condemning its "egregious" actions in Gaza. All three warned of the possibility of "further concrete actions" if Israel continued its renewed military offensive and failed to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. They also threatened "targeted sanctions" in response to Israel's settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. A statement from 24 donor nations followed, condemning a new, Israeli-backed aid delivery model for Gaza. But that was just the start. On Tuesday, Britain suspended trade talks with Israel and said a 2023 road map for future cooperation was being reviewed. A fresh round of sanctions was imposed on Jewish settlers, including Daniela Weiss, a prominent figure who featured in Louis Theroux's recent documentary, The Settlers. Israel's ambassador in London, Tzipi Hotovely, was summoned to the Foreign Office, a move generally reserved for the representatives of countries like Russia and Iran. To make matters worse for Israel, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a "strong majority" of the bloc's members favoured reviewing the 25-year-old Association Agreement with Israel. The reasons for this flurry of diplomatic condemnation seemed clear enough. Evidence that Gaza was closer to mass starvation than at any time since the war began, following Hamas's attack in October 2023, was sending ripples of horror across the world. Israel's military offensive, and the rhetoric surrounding it, suggested that conditions in the stricken territory were about to deteriorate once more. Addressing MPs on Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy singled out the words of Israel's hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who had spoken of "cleansing" Gaza, "destroying what's left" and relocating the civilian population to third countries. "We must call this what it is," Lammy said. "It's extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous. And I condemn it in the strongest possible terms." Smotrich is not a decision-maker when it comes to conduct of the war in Gaza. Before now, his incendiary remarks might have been set to one side. But those days appear to be over. Rightly or wrongly, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen as in thrall to his far-right colleagues. Critics accuse him of relentlessly pursuing a war, without regard for the lives of Palestinian civilians or the remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza. Countries that have long supported Israel's right to defend itself are beginning to say "enough is enough." This week was clearly a significant moment for Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, a staunch defender of Israel (he once said "I support Zionism without qualification") who faced strong criticism from within the Labour Party for his reluctance last year to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. On Tuesday, Sir Keir said the suffering of innocent children in Gaza was "utterly intolerable". In the face of this unusually concerted action from some of his country's strongest allies, Netanyahu reacted furiously, suggesting Britain, France and Canada were guilty of supporting Hamas. "When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice," he posted on X. "You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history." Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar went further, suggesting there was a "direct line" between Israel's critics, including Starmer, and Wednesday night's killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, the two Israeli embassy employees gunned down outside the Jewish Museum in Washington. But despite the outpourings of sympathy following the shooting, the Israeli government seems increasingly isolated, with western allies and prominent members of the Jewish diaspora all voicing anger – and anguish – over the war in Gaza. Lord Levy, former Middle East envoy and advisor to Tony Blair, said he endorsed the current government's criticisms, even suggesting they might have come "a little late". "There has to be a stand, not just from us in this country but internationally, against what is going on in Gaza," he told BBC Radio 4's The World at One, describing himself as "a very proud Jew…who passionately cares for Israel". But silent, throughout all this, is the one man who could, if he wanted, stop the war. At the end of his recent tour of the Gulf, Donald Trump said "a lot of people are starving". White House officials indicated the US president was frustrated with the war and wanted the Israeli government to "wrap it up". But while other western leaders release expressions of outrage, Trump is saying almost nothing.
Zawya
23-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
UK-Tunisia trade up by 20% in 2024, says UK's Ambassador
Tunisia – Trade between the United Kingdom (UK) and Tunisia is witnessing 'significant growth,' edging up by 20% in 2024 to nearly £750 million, UK's Ambassador to Tunisia Roderick Drummond said in an interview with TAP. He attributed this growth to deepening bilateral ties under the framework of the UK-Tunisia Association Agreement, signed in 2021, which provides preferential treatment for a wide range of products and facilitates enhanced market access. 'We are connected by an Association Agreement which ensures that both sides can benefit from reduced tariffs and enhanced market access,' he said, pointing out that the two countries are currently reviewing several aspects of the agreement to improve its effectiveness. The ambassador underlined that particular attention is now lent to the agricultural chapter of the agreement, aimed at increasing "Tunisian exports to the UK such as olive oil and expanding British inputs into Tunisia's agri-business sector." 'That review should be concluded in the coming months, and [we] hope that it will be signed between the two governments at that time,' Drummond added. The visit of UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to Tunisia in January had affirmed the UK's commitment to scaling up cooperation with Tunisia, especially in priority fields such as trade, education, and renewable energy, he indicated. 'Our relationship goes back nearly four centuries, but things continue to move forward and thrive across many fronts,' the ambassador said. © Tap 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
