Brussels finalizes partial suspension of EU association agreement with Israel

BrusselsThe European Union has taken a new step forward in sanctioning Benjamin Netanyahu's government. European Union Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas will present the proposal to suspend the sanctions tomorrow. partially the association agreement between the EU and Israel, the European Commission announced on Wednesday. Thus, the EU executive will fulfill the promise made by Ursula von der Leyen last Wednesday in the European Parliament to punish and increase pressure on Tel Aviv for its offensive against Gaza.

This restriction is one of the most important tools of diplomatic pressure the EU has at its disposal against Netanyahu. The association agreement establishes priority political and trade dialogue between both parties, with the European bloc being Israel's main trading partner. Furthermore, member states, especially Germany, supply around 30% of the weapons that Israel imports, although Brussels has not yet proposed any arms embargo.

In any case, it remains to be seen whether von der Leyen will ultimately succeed in obtaining a partial suspension of the association agreement. It should be remembered that, among others, Germany is historically a very pro-Zionist country and has blocked any sanctions or pressure measures against Netanyahu. Germany is the largest and most influential country in the EU, and several states, such as Hungary and Austria, tend to follow suit on this issue.

First, the European Foreign Minister's proposal must be approved by a qualified majority at the weekly meeting of European Commissioners, scheduled for this Wednesday morning. Then, it must also be passed by the EU Council, the body that represents the Member States. A priori, since this is a matter of international relations, it could be processed by a qualified majority rather than unanimously, which would prevent a single country or a few countries from vetoing it.

Furthermore, the European Commission has not provided any further details on the sanctioning of the "most radical Israeli ministers" that Von der Leyen announced she would propose last Wednesday. This is a measure that must have the unanimous approval of the state governments, which complicates its processing. In any case, the European Union already has some of the main violent settlers in the West Bank on its blacklist.