EU's Borrell proposes Israel dialogue freeze amid Gaza crisis

BRUSSELS

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called for suspending political dialogue with Israel, citing the country's disregard for international law in Gaza.

The potential shift in EU-Israel relations comes after months of fruitless appeals for Israel to respect international norms during the ongoing conflict.

"We can't keep business as usual," Borrell declared in a blog post Friday, outlining his proposal to EU member states. The plan includes banning imports from illegal settlements and halting political talks with Israel - measures set for debate at next week's Foreign Affairs Council.

The political dialogue, part of a broader EU-Israel pact in force since 2000, would need unanimous backing from all 27 EU countries to be suspended.

Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, painted a grim picture of Gaza's plight.

"People are running out of everything," he stated, adding that large swaths of the enclave can no longer "sustain organized human life." He highlighted northern Gaza's complete evacuation, once home to over a million people, following relentless bombardment that razed vital infrastructure.

The EU official warned similar destruction patterns are now emerging in the West Bank and Lebanon. He listed numerous international pleas that have fallen on deaf ears in Israel, including calls to comply with International Court of Justice orders and to allow humanitarian aid access.

“To heed international humanitarian law, to comply with binding orders of the International Court of Justice, to ensure humanitarian access, to agree to President Biden’s ceasefire proposal, to allow international journalists and UN-mandated investigators to enter Gaza… Looking back, the list of pleas that fell on deaf ears in Israel is now too long to recount,” Borrell said.

Since Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, Israel's military response has claimed over 43,000 lives in Gaza, sparking a humanitarian disaster and genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice.

Borrell argued for "meaningful consequences" for Israel, noting that other countries facing similar accusations have faced sanctions, visa bans, and economic restrictions.

"This has to change," he asserted, proposing an import ban on products from illegal settlements based on recent International Court of Justice advisory opinions.

Borrell has also requested an assessment of Israel's compliance with its EU Association Agreement from the bloc's human rights envoy.