The European Commission says it will propose sanctioning "extremist Israeli ministers" and a partial suspension of the European Union's association agreement with Israel, targeting trade-related matters. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement on Wednesday.
"What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world," von der Leyen said in a State of the Union speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, acknowledging divisions within Europe on how to move forward and pledging that the commission will do what it can on its own.
A suspension of the trade chapter of the agreement would withdraw trade preferences for Israeli products to enter the EU market and would require a qualified majority vote among EU governments, according to a July options paper prepared by the bloc's diplomatic service.
The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting for nearly a third of Israel's total international trade in goods last year.
A qualified majority is reached with the support of 15 out of 27 members representing 65% of the EU population, a difficult threshold to reach at a time when European capitals continue to have diverging views on how to approach Israel and Gaza.
Von der Leyen also said that the Commission will put its bilateral support for Israel on hold, without affecting work with Israeli civil society and Yad Vashem, Israel's main Holocaust memorial centre.
The Commission had previously proposed curbing Israeli access to its flagship research funding programme but failed to garner sufficient support from EU member countries for the move.
Diplomats say Germany's view on the proposal is key, and Germany has said it is so far unconvinced.
The Commission chief said the body will set up a Palestine Donor Group next month, including an instrument for Gaza reconstruction.
Spain has faced a string of railway accidents in one week, including one of Europe’s deadliest in recent years, raising questions about whether main...
Hermès menswear designer Véronique Nichanian presented her final collection on Saturday at Paris Fashion Week, ending nearly four decades in the rol...
Almost 4,000 flights were cancelled across the United States on Saturday as a monster winter storm threatened to paralyse the eastern states with heav...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will not attend the National Football League’s Super Bowl on 8 February, citing the distance to the venue as...
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had taken control of the village of Starytsya in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Saturday, near the border t...
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on 23 January there are signs Israel is still seeking an opportunity to attack Iran, warning that such a move could further destabilise the Middle East.
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump is the only leader capable of exerting real pressure on Israel to halt its military actions in Gaza, arguing that Trump can act independently if he chooses.
Belgium has banned aircraft transporting weapons and military equipment to Israel from using its airspace or making technical stops, the Foreign Ministry confirmed to Anadolu on Friday.
The United Nations says Israeli crews have begun bulldozing the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in east Jerusalem. The move comes amid increasing crackdowns on humanitarian groups.
Firefighters were clearing the charred ruins of a Karachi shopping mall in Pakistan on Tuesday (20 January) as they searched for people still missing after a fire that burned for nearly two days and killed at least 67 people, police said.
Iran will treat any military attack as an “all-out war,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, as the United States moves additional naval and air assets into the Middle East amid rising tensions.
Trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. entered a second day in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, following an initial round of talks described by officials as productive.
In the snowy peaks of Davos, where the world’s most powerful leaders gather for the 56th World Economic Forum, a new narrative is emerging that challenges the current dominance of artificial intelligence (AI).
"When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Davos on Tuesday (20 January), a speech that resonated at home and heightened tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, who later withdrew Canada’s invitation to the Board of Peace.
Spain has faced a string of railway accidents in one week, including one of Europe’s deadliest in recent years, raising questions about whether maintenance investment is keeping pace with soaring passenger demand on the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
Almost 4,000 flights were cancelled across the United States on Saturday as a monster winter storm threatened to paralyse the eastern states with heavy snowfall, sleet and freezing rain, while utilities from Texas to the Midwest faced power outages.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will not attend the National Football League’s Super Bowl on 8 February, citing the distance to the venue as the main reason.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had taken control of the village of Starytsya in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Saturday, near the border town of Vovchansk. Kyiv’s military did not confirm the claim, while Russian forces also reported strikes on drone and energy sites.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it regrets the United States’ formal decision to withdraw from the UN health body and has expressed hope that Washington will eventually resume active engagement with the agency.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment