Europe does not need to break with Israel. But it needs to stop pretending that three settlers and a fight over oranges are a position while the border with Lebanon moves north and a Nato ally, Turkey, becomes the enemy. The two no longer want the same things, and a vote in Jerusalem is unlikely to change that.
Germany, Greece, Romania, the Czechs, and Finland also licensed millions of euros of Israel arms exports in 2024, according to the latest EU data.
“I do not believe that breaking a trade agreement is a useful tool,” said Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani on Tuesday — despite Spanish and Belgian appeals.
Suspending the Association Agreement with Israel is the only tool left for the European Union. The EU remains Israel’s main trading partner – yet this leverage has rarely been used to apply pressure.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has seemed more concerned with undoing what her predecessor Josep Borrell sought to achieve in the region, than with addressing the catastrophic consequences of allowing Israel to act with impunity.
“The ever and fast deteriorating situation calls for such action [on Israel”, a joint Franco-Swedish proposal said.
Israel has been engaged in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists ever-documented since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a US-based non-profit.
THIS WEEK: EU summit in Cyprus, shaky Middle East ceasefires and Bulgaria post-election falloutAn EU summit in Cyprus, possible trade sanctions with Israel, shaky ceasefires in Lebanon and Iran, and the aftermath of the election in Bulgaria are among the lead stories driving this week.
“Never interrupt your enemy whilst he is making a mistake,” Napoleon said. It is just one of the many historical lessons of warfare that US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu have ignored over the past 40 days. The result is that they have lost the war against Iran and failed to achieve any of their objectives.
“Bodies on the ground. Blood everywhere … countless wounded adults and children” in Beirut after Israeli strikes, but its EU allies say Israel “blame game” would not help.
What is the actual cost, measured in Lebanon’s civilian lives and the disintegration of its ecological fabric, when destruction strikes the very foundations that uphold territorial integrity and the cohesion of its communities?
The terrorism bill is worded to apply to ethnic Palestinians convicted in future of murdering Jewish Israelis for political reasons.
While diplomatic efforts by the Lebanese government are failing, authorities are reporting further attacks on civilian infrastructure as well as on central Beirut. We summarise what is happening in the south of the country, the current chances for a ceasefire, and how the war in Lebanon is linked to Syria.
“First of all, we want to hear from Israel and the United States of America when they want to achieve their military goals in Iran,” said Germany, while also calling for Israeli restraint in Lebanon.
“Although for now, the conflict has not translated into immediate migratory flows towards the EU, what the future holds remains unclear,” says European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
Cypriots have long felt that — far from providing protection from the tribulations of their geographical neighbourhood —the existence of two British sovereign base areas on the island effectively placed a target on the back of Cyprus and therefore of Cypriots.
A senior EU diplomat told reporters that ministers will focus on ways to compel people to return home voluntarily, amid wider migration talks on working with Lebanon and Libya.