European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on 10 September that the EU will propose sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and seek a partial suspension of its association agreement with Tel Aviv, directly targeting trade.
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Von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the Commission “will propose sanctions on the extremist ministers and on violent settlers,” which was met with rounds of applause from lawmakers.
While she did not name names, von der Leyen was widely understood to be referring to Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich when she mentioned “extremist ministers.”
Both Israeli ministers have already been embargoed by Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, and Norway, with Slovenia and Spain having also recently announced bans on them.
“We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold. We will stop all payments in these areas without affecting our work with civil society or [Holocaust memorial] Yad Vashem,” von der Leyen added.
In her address, she urged a partial suspension of the EU’s association agreement with Israel, which makes the bloc Tel Aviv’s largest trading partner and covers nearly a third of its global trade in goods.
A suspension would withdraw trade preferences for Israeli products entering the European market.
According to a July options paper prepared by the EU diplomatic service, such a move would require a qualified majority vote – 15 of 27 member states representing 65 percent of the EU population.
The Commission had previously sought to curb Israeli access to its flagship research funding program but failed to secure enough support.
Diplomats have identified Germany’s position as pivotal for the success of the sanctions plan. The proposal cannot advance without Berlin’s backing, yet the German government has indicated that it is so far unconvinced, highlighting the deep divisions within the bloc over how to confront Israel.
Von der Leyen also announced that the Commission will establish a “Palestine donor group” next month, including a dedicated mechanism to fund Gaza’s reconstruction after the war. |
