Latest news with #EUIsraelAgreement
Arab News
26-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
EU must make the ethical choice on Gaza
The EU is set to review its association agreement with Israel, a pact that governs its political and economic relations with Tel Aviv. This announcement was made by the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, last Tuesday. The decision was backed by a majority of 17 of the bloc's 27 member states and was driven by the 'catastrophic' situation in Gaza. Led by Spain and Ireland, several European countries have long been calling for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel's disregard for international law. As expected, Israel totally rejected the decision to review the agreement. If the review leads to a suspension or blocking of the agreement, it will have dire consequences for Israel. In February of last year, the prime ministers of Spain and Ireland reached out to European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, urging her to review Israel's compliance with the human rights provision of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Of course, their request fell on deaf ears. However, as famine is now looming, more countries joined the call to review the agreement. The Netherlands renewed the call and issued a similar request to Spain and Ireland's. Its initiative received support from Finland, Portugal, Sweden and France. Revoking the trade agreement would mean Israel would lose its perks with the EU. While the world is amazed by the Israeli economic miracle, it is important to note that Tel Aviv's economic success is no miracle at all. It has been successful economically mainly because of the support it receives from the Western world. If the review leads to a suspension or blocking of the agreement, it will have dire consequences for Israel Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib The West has been trying to handle its guilt over failing the Jews and humanity during the Holocaust. Israel benefits greatly through its association agreement with the EU. Through this agreement, Israeli products and services have preferential access to the EU market. Many Israeli industrial products benefit from tariff exemption. Article 8 states that customs duties on imports and exports between the European community and Israel are prohibited. Agricultural products also benefit from reduced tariffs. This gives Israel a competitive edge. But the perks are not limited to customs duties. As part of this agreement, Israeli products align with European standards, which helps attract investment into Israeli companies. Israel also benefits from European funding for its research programs. And Israeli institutions can partner with European institutions. The EU is Israel's most important trading partner. It accounted for 32 percent of Israel's total trade in goods in 2024. More than 34 percent of Israel's imports came from the EU, while 28.8 percent of its exports went to the bloc. If Israel loses this agreement, it would be a big blow to an already struggling economy. Last year witnessed a decline in the number of small and medium-sized businesses in Israel, while Ultra Finance has warned of a 'shock wave' to come in 2025 as owners contend with the fallout of the Gaza war. Israel's economy is also suffering from a shortage of workers, as young men and women are being drafted into the military. Exports have suffered greatly, as more and more people are boycotting Israeli products. It is time for punitive action. The war on Gaza will only stop when a majority of Israelis realize that it is affecting them negatively and that they would be better off making peace with the Palestinians rather than trying to eliminate them. The Israeli leaders have to realize that the world has something to say. Punitive action is needed Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib Israel has not stopped at anything so far. Neither the International Court of Justice's ruling nor the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have deterred Israel. The country's leaders know they have lost their reputation. They do not care about their image anymore. They know it has already been destroyed. The only way to coerce them into stopping this genocide is by affecting their economy — i.e., the livelihood of the average Israeli. This is the only way they will realize that the war is backfiring. Otherwise, they will not stop. Beyond empty words of condemnation, the world has taken no real action. Israel has deliberately killed journalists, medics and international aid workers and there have been no consequences. The Israeli leaders have to realize that the world has something to say. Punitive action is needed. This is the only way to drive the Israeli public to reject the war. As long as they see that the world tolerates the criminality of their state, they will support the war, or at least will not push the government enough to end it. Views on the war are divided; Israeli society is very polarized. There is no decisive majority that wants the war to end. International pressure is needed to prevent the looming famine in Gaza. The average Israeli needs to understand that this barbaric war will make their state a pariah and all the privileges they enjoy can be lost at the stroke of a pen. A suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement would create enough pressure for the war to stop and aid to flow into Gaza. It is time for Europe to make a moral choice. This is a moment that will haunt the generations to come if Europe does not make the ethical choice. Every European country's leadership should look 30 years into the future and wonder what they will tell their people then. Can they tell them that they could have stopped a famine but did not? History will judge Europe's leaders if they turn a blind eye while Gazans are perishing from famine.
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
EU to review cooperation deal with Israel over Gaza
The momentum to re-examine the EU-Israel Association Agreement, basis for trade ties, has grown since Israel resumed its Gaza offensive. (Reuters pic) BRUSSELS : The EU on Tuesday ordered a review of its cooperation deal with Israel and Britain halted trade talks with it as European nations took a tougher line over the Gaza war. France renewed its commitment to recognise a Palestinian state, a day after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily hit back at Britain, France and Canada for threatening action over his country's military offensive and blockade of Gaza. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said 'a strong majority' of the 27 member states at a foreign ministers' meeting backed the move in a bid to pressure Israel. 'Countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable, and what we want is to really help the people, and… to unblock the humanitarian aid so that it will reach the people,' Kallas told journalists. Momentum to re-examine the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which forms the basis for trade ties, has grown since Israel resumed a military offensive in Gaza after a ceasefire expired. Diplomats said 17 EU states 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. Divided EU acts The EU has long been divided between countries backing Israel and those considered more pro-Palestinian. In a sign of the splits, in a separate move, Hungary blocked imposing more sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Belgium's foreign minister Maxime Prevot said he had 'no doubt' about the violation of rights in Gaza, and the review could lead to the suspension of the entire deal. Britain meanwhile suspended free-trade negotiations and summoned Israel's ambassador. Foreign secretary David Lammy accused Netanyahu's government of 'egregious actions and rhetoric' over its expansion of military operations in the Palestinian territory. Lammy told the British parliament that the government was imposing new sanctions on individuals and organisations involved in West Bank settlements. 'The world is judging, history will judge them. Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible and it must stop,' he said. He said Britain would be 'reviewing cooperation' with Israel under a so-called 2030 roadmap for UK-Israel relations. The 'Netanyahu government's actions have made this necessary,' Lammy said. Israel responded by saying 'external pressure' would not stop the country 'defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction'. 'If, due to anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations, the British government is willing to harm the British economy – that is its own prerogative,' Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said in a statement. France also renewed its diplomatic criticism of Israel, with foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot reaffirming a commitment to recognise a Palestinian state. 'We cannot leave the children of Gaza a legacy of violence and hatred. So all this must stop, and that's why we are determined to recognise a Palestinian state,' Barrot told France Inter radio. French President Emmanuel Macron joined British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a rare joint statement on Gaza on Monday that angered Israel. The three threatened 'concrete actions' if Israel continued to block aid. Netanyahu said the statement was a 'huge prize' for Hamas, which set off the Gaza war with its Oct 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Arab News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
The implications of EU's decision to review relations with Israel
There was a breakthrough in the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday. A majority of the 27 member states prevailed in supporting the Netherlands' proposal to launch a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement due to possible breaches of human rights in Gaza. Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, said after the meeting that 'a strong majority' of member states backed the move, adding that 'countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable and what we want is to really help the people and unblock the humanitarian aid so that it will reach the people.' According to reports, 17 countries supported the Dutch proposal, while nine opposed it and one abstained. Leading up to the meeting, EU officials were skeptical about the possibility of getting even a simple majority due to opposition from countries such as Germany, which carries a lot of weight in the EU voting system. German officials were quite confident they could block the move, despite being abandoned by the Netherlands, their traditional ally on issues related to support for Israel. Hungary and other smaller EU states have been loud in their support for Israel's actions. Budapest, for instance, last month welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite a warrant being issued by the International Criminal Court for his arrest on genocide charges. More recently, it blocked imposing more sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The vote will help the EU push for a diplomatic solution to both the Gaza war and the underlying conflict Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg However, Germany has been the most effective in shielding Israel from criticism at home and within the EU. In 2016, Berlin spearheaded a move to widen the definition of antisemitism to include criticism of the Israeli government. This has since been adopted by at least 25 EU member states, plus the US. In 2021, the European Commission published a handbook 'for the practical use' of this new definition, which is being used in the current campaign to silence critics of Israel. In 2018, Germany created the Office of the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight Against Antisemitism, a vast bureaucracy that includes commissioners at the state and local levels, some of whom work out of prosecutors' offices or police stations. There are dozens of 'antisemitism commissioners' throughout Germany, whose task is to monitor incidents or individuals falling afoul of the new definition of antisemitism. Their targets have included the German-Israeli sociologist Moshe Zuckermann, who was targeted for supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Jewish South African photographer Adam Broomberg and many others questioning Israeli policies. In 2019, the German parliament passed a resolution condemning BDS as 'antisemitic,' which has had a chilling effect on German debates on Israel and led to the cancellation or disruption of many events considered to be sympathetic to BDS or critical of Israel. Since the war in Gaza started in October 2023, German authorities have acted with more vengeance, even violence at times, to suppress criticism of Israeli actions. They have canceled or disrupted dozens of events, withdrawn previously awarded grants, fired academics, deported foreign visitors or denied them entry, and publicly shamed those who have defied the ban on pro-Palestinian discourse. Germany has also continued to supply Israel with weapons, some of which are being used in the war against Gaza, leading to accusations of complicity in the Gaza genocide, which is the basis for Nicaragua's case against Germany before the International Court of Justice. Within the EU and the UN and before the world court, Berlin has been among the fiercest defenders of Israel. The German position has become quite evident in recent meetings in Riyadh, Brussels and elsewhere. While circumspect in official statements, they lobbied participants behind the scenes to drop their opposition to Israeli actions. They dismiss diplomatic efforts, such as the move to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement, as useless because Germany can block any action based on that review. They also dismiss cases before the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court and any attempts to censure Israel internationally as counterproductive. The only way to influence Israel, they believe, is for Arabs to 'normalize' relations with Israel without conditions. Without presenting evidence, they believe that only normalization has the promise of changing Israel's conduct in the region. The strong majority will give EU diplomacy more credibility and relevance in the Middle East and beyond Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg While it is admirable for Berlin to document and remember crimes committed by the Nazis and try to prevent them from recurring in Germany, it is inexplicable how it is using their memory and the inherent guilt associated with them to justify inflicting similar crimes by Israel against the Palestinians. Tuesday's EU move was possibly influenced by the statement issued a day earlier by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. They threatened 'concrete actions' if Israel continued to block aid to Gaza. The UK has also halted negotiations with Israel on a free trade agreement. And France announced that it is planning to recognize the state of Palestine, which Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot linked to Israel's actions in Gaza. 'We cannot leave the children of Gaza a legacy of violence and hatred. So all this must stop, and that's why we are determined to recognize a Palestinian state,' he said. Following the EU vote, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said he had 'no doubt' about the extent of Israeli violations in Gaza and that the review could lead to the suspension of the association agreement, indicating the extent of the frustration most European governments feel with their inability to moderate Israeli actions in Gaza. However, a suspension of the deal will be very difficult to achieve given the EU's complicated voting system, which means a small number of countries could block such action. While the review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement is a welcome move, it is doubtful that it will lead to concrete collective action by the EU on trade with Israel. However, it adds one more piece to the EU's diplomatic toolkit. Despite opposition by some of its member states, the EU has taken significant steps to push for a diplomatic solution to both the Gaza war and the underlying Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For example, it supports Saudi Arabia and Norway's efforts to make the two-state solution a viable option. It has also supported the post-conflict Arab plan for Gaza. The EU is among the largest providers of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians and strongest supporters of the Palestinian Authority. The strong majority in Tuesday's meeting is likely to grow in future votes, adding pressure within the EU on Israel's supporters and giving EU diplomacy more credibility and relevance in the Middle East and beyond.
Al Arabiya
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Germany defends EU-Israel deal as ‘important forum' for talks
Germany on Wednesday defended an EU-Israel cooperation deal, a day after the bloc had ordered a review of it in a bid to pressure Israel over the Gaza war. 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 Gaza. The review announced on Tuesday comes as some European nations take a tougher line with Israel over the devastating impact of its offensive in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the territory. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said 'a strong majority' of the 27 member states had backed the review. Diplomats said 17 EU states 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 Britain, France and Canada condemned Israel's 'egregious actions' in Gaza and warned of joint action if it did not halt its heightened military offensive there. On Wednesday 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. Wagner also confirmed that on Tuesday nine German nationals had been evacuated from Gaza 'in close co-ordination with the Israeli government', together with three of their immediate family members.
Arab News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Germany defends EU-Israel deal as ‘important forum' for talks
BERLIN: Germany on Wednesday defended an EU-Israel cooperation deal, a day after the bloc had ordered a review of it in a bid to pressure Israel over the Gaza war. 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 Gaza. The review announced on Tuesday comes as some European nations take a tougher line with Israel over the devastating impact of its offensive in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the territory. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said 'a strong majority' of the 27 member states had backed the review. Diplomats said 17 EU states 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 Britain, France and Canada condemned Israel's 'egregious actions' in Gaza and warned of joint action if it did not halt its heightened military offensive there. On Wednesday 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. Wagner also confirmed that on Tuesday nine German nationals had been evacuated from Gaza 'in close co-ordination with the Israeli government,' together with three of their immediate family members.
