BRUSSELS: The EU on Tuesday ordered a review of its cooperation deal with Israel and Britain halted trade talks with it as European nations took a tougher line over the Gaza war.
France renewed its commitment to recognise a Palestinian state, a day after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily hit back at Britain, France and Canada for threatening action over his country's military offensive and blockade of Gaza.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said “a strong majority” of the 27 member states at a foreign ministers’ meeting backed the move in a bid to pressure Israel.
“Countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable, and what we want is to really help the people, and... to unblock the humanitarian aid so that it will reach the people,“ Kallas told journalists.
Momentum to re-examine the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which forms the basis for trade ties, has grown since Israel resumed a military offensive in Gaza after a ceasefire expired.
Diplomats said 17 EU states pressed for the review under an article of the agreement that calls for a respect for human rights, with the Netherlands spearheading the latest push.
Divided EU acts
The EU has long been divided between countries backing Israel and those considered more pro-Palestinian. In a sign of the splits, in a separate move, Hungary blocked imposing more sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot said he had “no doubt” about the violation of rights in Gaza, and the review could lead to the suspension of the entire deal.
Britain meanwhile suspended free-trade negotiations and summoned Israel's ambassador. Foreign Secretary David Lammy accused Netanyahu’s government of “egregious actions and rhetoric” over its expansion of military operations in the Palestinian territory.
Lammy told the British parliament that the government was imposing new sanctions on individuals and organisations involved in West Bank settlements.
“The world is judging, history will judge them. Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible and it must stop,“ he said.
He said Britain would be “reviewing cooperation“ with Israel under a so-called 2030 roadmap for UK-Israel relations. The “Netanyahu government’s actions have made this necessary,“ Lammy said.
Israel responded by saying “external pressure” would not stop the country “defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction”.
“If, due to anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations, the British government is willing to harm the British economy -- that is its own prerogative,“ Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said in a statement.
France also renewed its diplomatic criticism of Israel, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot reaffirming a commitment to recognise a Palestinian state.
“We cannot leave the children of Gaza a legacy of violence and hatred. So all this must stop, and that’s why we are determined to recognise a Palestinian state,“ Barrot told France Inter radio.
French President Emmanuel Macron joined British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a rare joint statement on Gaza on Monday that angered Israel.
The three threatened “concrete actions” if Israel continued to block aid. Netanyahu said the statement was a “huge prize” for Hamas, which set off the Gaza war with its October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
