Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip show a violation of human rights clauses contained in the association agreement with the European Union, discovered by highly anticipated reviews from the bloc’s diplomatic services, citing a collection of findings by independent international organizations.
This violation stems from Israel’s war with Gaza and the harsh conditions applied to the delivery of human aid. It also covers Israel’s decades of occupation of the West Bank, where settlers engage in violent acts.
Europeans responded to shock and anger at Palestinian reports I’m being killed By Israeli forces while waiting for supplies at distribution sites.
This review was carried out by the European External Action Services (EEAS) and was sent to member states on Friday under a restricted form to avoid leaks.
“There are indications that Israel violates its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement,” a senior diplomat told Euroneuz, citing conclusions contained in the document.
According to diplomats, the review talks about humanitarian blockades, military strikes against hospitals, forced movement of Palestinians, mass arrests, arbitrary detention, expansion of settlements that are illegal under international law, and violence by settlers. The violation has been described as numerous serious.
Internal exercises It was released last month At the request of 17 countries led by the Netherlands, it states that bilateral relations “respect the principles of human rights and democracy, guide internal and international policies, and constitute an essential component of this agreement.”
Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden supported the Netherlands’ call.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Lithuania opposed, and Latvia adopted a “neutral” position, sources said.
Israel condemned the decision He then called on Brussels to continue the bilateral dialogue.
A spokesman for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in May. “This war was forced by Hamas on Israel, and Hamas is responsible for its continued existence.”
The results of the review will be discussed by the ambassador on Friday and Sunday, followed by the Foreign Minister on Monday. High-ranking representative Kaja Karas will give a brief description of the EU leaders personally at the summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Walking down the fine lines to keep all countries on the same page, the crow has recently strengthened her tone to Israel and what she calls the “weapon” of humanitarian assistance.
“It’s extremely painful for me to see the pain,” the crow said earlier this week.
“When I hear that 50 people were killed on the line to get flour, that hurts, of course, I ask myself, what more can we do?”
It is up to the member states to decide what actions the EU should take in response to important findings. Possible options include a complete suspension of the contract. This involves a very unlikely or partial suspension of certain provisions related to free trade, research, technical, cultural and political dialogue.
Some options require unanimous support from all 27 member states, while others require a qualified majority. This means at least 55% of the country representing at least 65% of the BLOC population. The decision to suspend the trade aspect of the contract is in the hands of the European Commission, and diplomats say it is difficult to reach the contract here too.
There will be no action until July
Given the short timing between the review release and the Monday meeting, it is not expected that concrete action will be taken until the foreign minister meets again in July.
Senior diplomats said it was “hard” to predict whether 17 powerful groups will remain united in the next step, but hoped the findings would increase pressure on Israel and reduce the suffering of humans within the war-torn strip.
“There are three important points we want to see,” the diplomat explained, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“First, the complete and immediate end of humanitarian blockade. Second, a meaningful procedure to a ceasefire that allows for the release of all hostages. And third, we hope that no further steps will be taken to make the solution for the two states even more difficult.”
This review coincides with the military escalation between Israel and Iran. This is also high when foreign ministers meet on Mondays. It remains to be seen how the debate on Iran will affect Gaza’s deliberations.
Diplomats from other countries said maintaining political attention to Gaza was “critical” rather than “seeing somewhere,” meaning Iran.
“Unless the report imagines, how many member states are willing to do nothing and continue to say it’s business as usual?” the diplomat said. “These Member States need to justify their inaction.”
However, the sense of urgency is not equally shared. Some capitals argue that the EU should focus on maintaining an open line with Tel Aviv rather than cutting them off.
“What’s important for us is to maintain a decent level of communication with Israel. We want to keep the association’s agreement as is,” the third diplomat said. “For many of us, trade with Israel is important and we don’t want to close the door.”
The fourth diplomat said, “We have a very bad humanitarian situation (but) it doesn’t stop us from suspending the agreement from dramatic.”
This review is the day after Belgium along with Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden. I asked The European Commission is a committee to investigate “how trade in goods and services related to illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory can be lined with international law.”
