EU puts an agreement with Israel to the test
In view of the situation in the Gaza Strip, the EU questions its partnership agreement with Israel. According to EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas, a “strong majority” spoke out at a foreign ministerial meeting in Brussels to check whether Israel still adheres to the basic principles of the so-called association agreement. These include that the relationship between the contracting parties is also based on respect for human rights. How this review could go out is uncertain.
According to diplomats, Germany was one of the countries at the ministerial meeting that spoke out against a review. Among other things, the federal government argues that it does not want to endanger the existing discussion channels with Israel.
Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel (DP) had made it clear several times before the meeting that he supported the idea of reviewing the agreement. « We can no longer close our eyes. The people in Gaza die either by bombs or starves, » he said on the sidelines of the meeting.
Kallas: Israel’s change of course is not sufficient
Among other things, Israel is accused of violating this basic principle. The background is in particular that since the beginning of March the country has hardly left any deliveries from relief goods in the Gaza Strip, in which around two million Palestinians live. Israel justifies his approach by the fact that the Islamist Hamas benefit from the aid deliveries.
« The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, » said Kallas in Brussels. The relief supplies, which Israel recently let back into the area, are to be welcomed, but only a drop on the hot stone.
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As long as no review of the Israeli contract loyalty has taken place, the Netherlands did not want to agree to a currently planned extension of the validity of an EU Israel action plan. According to EU information, this promotes the integration of Israel into European policies and programs and is a basis for continuing the cooperation between the two contracting parties.
No schedule for review
Kallas said on Tuesday after the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Brussels that there was no schedule for the examined review. While the procedure is going, it is hoped that Israel will end the blockade of the auxiliary deliveries. The EU countries would like to send a strong sign that the suffering of the civilian population would have to end.
Intensive discussions about the partnership agreement with Israel had already existed in the EU last year. They had assumed Spain and Ireland.
