EU ministers reject suspending dialogue with Israel

European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday but did not support pausing the bloc's diplomatic dialogue with Israel, as proposed by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Ahead of the meeting, Borrell said such a move would aim to put pressure on the Israeli government after it had ignored several pleas to adhere to international law in the war in the Gaza Strip.

Having frequently criticized Israel in unusually strong terms by the standards of European leaders over the past year, the Spanish politician told reporters before the meeting that he had "no more words" for the situation in Gaza. 

"It's about 44,000 people killed in Gaza, the whole area is being destroyed, and 70% of the people being killed are women or children," he said.

The proposal, considered as Borrell's parting shot before he leaves office, was widely seen as being unlikely to be accepted by the ministers, and would have required a unanimous decision from all 27 member states. 

Resistance to proposal

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp was among those voicing disagreement with the proposal, saying the EU needed to remain in dialogue with Israel amid the wider tensions in the Middle East.

Germany also stated its opposition in advance, while Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic all seemed sure to resist the move.

Israeli strikes against Hamas over the past year have caused thousands of civilian deaths and much destruction in GazaImage: -/AFP

The EU's political dialogue with Israel is covered by the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides for regular exchanges to strengthen the partnership.

It also, however, states that relations between the sides are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which Borrell has said may not have been adhered to by Israel.

Spain and Ireland have also suggested that the agreement with Israel be reviewed.

But EU diplomats had also stressed that suspending the institutional political dialogue does not mean suspending the agreement or the Association Council, which is in charge of relations between the two parties.

Proposed import ban

Borrell also wanted to introduce a ban on the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The settlements are illegal under international law.

The ministers did approve new sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with ballistic missiles to use in the Ukraine war during Monday's meeting.

Borrell also said ahead of the meeting that he hoped EU members would agree to allow Kyiv to strike inside Russia with the arms the bloc has provided. 

"I've been saying once and again that Ukraine should be able to use the arms we provided to them, in order to not only stop the arrows but also to be able to hit the archers," Borrell said. 

His comment comes amid reports that US President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles to strike deeper inside Russia, in possible response to the deployment by Moscow of thousands of North Korean troops in its war against its neighbor.

tj/lo (Reuters, dpa)