EU Criticized for Halting ’Israel’ Sanctions Amid Trump’s Gaza Push

By Staff, Agencies

Not deviating from the norm of defending “Israel”, the EU has been criticized for pausing sanctions against "Israel” that continues to breach the Gaza ceasefire.

After meeting EU foreign ministers on Monday, the European foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced a pause on efforts to suspend preferential trade with "Israel" and sanctions against people responsible for fueling the conflict on both sides.

The context had changed since the measures were proposed last month, Kallas said. Noting “divergent views”, she said ministers had agreed: "We don’t move with the measures now, but we don’t take them off the table either because the situation is fragile.”

Two former senior EU officials, speaking separately, criticized the decision not to move forward with sanctions.

Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, a former EU representative to the Palestinian territories, told the Guardian that Kallas missed “the point” on legal accountability.

“Sanctions are not just a measure to induce or coerce a third party to change or adjust its behavior. Restrictive measures are part of the tools the EU has given itself to react to breaches of both European and international law,” he said.

The EU concluded in June that "Israel" had breached human rights obligations under their association agreement, which governs trade and cooperation between the two sides.

Lawyers say the EU is also obliged to ensure policy is compliant with a non-binding opinion from international court of justice in 2024 requiring "Israel" to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories as soon as possible.

Burgsdorff co-organized a statement signed by 414 former senior diplomats and officials last week urging robust EU action “against spoilers and extremists on both sides” whose actions jeopardized “the establishment of a future Palestinian state”.

The statement welcomed the Trump plan, but noted that the question of Palestinian self-determination was only “vaguely addressed”.

Nathalie Tocci, a former adviser to two EU foreign policy high representatives, said it would be the worst possible outcome for the bloc to ditch sanctions.

Referring to the first phase of Trump’s plan, which has faced violence and diplomatic scramble, Tocci told The Guardian: “This is exactly the moment when you need to keep the pressure on... it’s certainly not a foregone conclusion that this plan will be implemented.”

“I fear that … European governments and institutions, will be … reverting back to the sort of old, familiar patterns,” she added.

European leaders will address the "Israel"-Gaza conflict at Thursday’s summit, amid deep divisions — with countries like Spain and Ireland backing Palestine, while Hungary and the Czech Republic support "Israel".

But massive protests across EU member states over Gaza’s death toll prompted the European Commission last month to propose suspending trade perks and sanctioning individuals fueling the conflict on both sides.

Senior EU sources reject the criticism that the bloc is “a payer, not a player” in the Middle East. While the EU is the largest donor to Palestinians—providing €1.5bn [£1.3bn] in aid since October 7—critics say its divisions limit its peacemaking influence.

EU officials want a seat on Trump’s “board of peace” and Gulf states to help fund Gaza’s $70bn [£52bn] reconstruction.

The EU welcomed the Trump plan but, in a leaked paper, said the Palestinian Authority’s role and the two-state solution need “further elaboration” and noted the plan “does not address the situation in the West Bank.”

Burgsdorff emphasized the EU’s role as an active diplomat to fill “missing links” in the Trump plan, tackling West Bank settlements and “working towards a credible pathway on a two-state solution.”

He said we need a strong UN mandate to allow international forces to ensure security in Gaza.

Moreover, Egypt is set to lead the stabilization force, with possible troops from Turkey, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan.

EU leaders, who have praised Cairo’s role as a mediator in the conflict, are to meet the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, in Brussels on Wednesday.

The EU had an opportunity “to demonstrate to the world that we are moving beyond ‘paying’,” Burgsdorff said. “We need to move up the ladder and have political ambition.”

Claudio Francavilla, an associate EU director at Human Rights Watch, said European governments were still protecting "Israeli" authorities from accountability.

Responding to Kallas’ statement, he said: “What may have changed so far is the scale and the intensity of 'Israel’s' atrocity crimes in Gaza; but its unlawful occupation and crimes of apartheid, forced displacement, torture and oppression of Palestinians continue unabated.”