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.
Uzbekistan is increasing its involvement in global space research with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Digita...
A car exploded near New Delhi's historic Red Fort on Monday, killing at least 8 people and injuring several others. The blast triggered a fire that da...
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Canada’s Niagara region this week to attend a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers, where ...
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is preparing for a state visit to Moscow on 12 November, highlighting the continued engagement between ...
U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned several figures accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, ...
After two years of more quiet celebrations due to the war in Gaza, the historic city of Bethlehem is once again preparing for a joyful and festive Christmas in the birthplace of Jesus.
Israel ruled out Türkiye’s participation in a proposed multinational stabilization force in Gaza, saying there will be “no Turkish boots on the ground,” amid reports that Ankara had issued arrest warrants for 37 Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday, November 8, calling to “save Israeli democracy” and urging the government to secure the return of deceased hostages still held in Gaza.
As Kazakhstan becomes the latest nation to join the Abraham Accords on Friday, here's all you need to know about the agreement and why it matters.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin has launched NASA’s twin ESCAPADE satellites to Mars on Sunday, marking the second flight of its New Glenn rocket, a mission seen as a crucial test of the company’s reusability ambitions and a fresh challenge to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Real Madrid, top of LaLiga, is determined to bounce back from their midweek Champions League loss against Liverpool as they face local rivals Rayo Vallecano. Coach Xabi Alonso insists the team is focused on finishing strong before the international break.
Two trains crashed in Slovakia on Sunday evening after one ran into the back of the other, injuring dozens of passengers, police and the country's interior minister said.
Russia said its forces have captured the village of Rybne in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, though Kyiv has not confirmed the claim. Ukraine’s military says it repelled multiple Russian assaults nearby amid ongoing heavy fighting.
China has announced exemptions to its export controls on Nexperia chips intended for civilian use, the commerce ministry said on Sunday, a move aimed at easing supply shortages affecting carmakers and automotive suppliers.
A car exploded near New Delhi's historic Red Fort on Monday, killing at least 8 people and injuring several others. The blast triggered a fire that damaged multiple parked vehicles. Authorities are investigating the cause, with fire crews swiftly responding to the scene.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Canada’s Niagara region this week to attend a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers, where discussions will focus on international peace and security.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned several figures accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark and Sidney Powell, a Justice Department official said.
Inspectors of the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA visited Iranian nuclear sites last week, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, according to state media, a week after the IAEA urged Iran to "seriously improve" cooperation.
A Paris court granted former French President Nicolas Sarkozy early release from jail on Monday, pending an appeal, just weeks after he started a five-year sentence for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment