BRUSSELS — Benjamin Netanyahu’s government issued a searing condemnation of the European Union after the bloc reviewed its economic ties with Israel in response to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
A private submission to the EU from the Israeli government, seen by POLITICO, described Brussels’ decision to reexamine its association agreement with Israel as “outrageous and indecent.” It accused EU officials of relying on biased evidence and failing to give Israel a fair chance to respond.
The European Commission launched an investigation into whether Israel may have breached its human rights obligations under the association agreement after a majority of EU countries called for a review in light of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
A draft of the findings seen by POLITICO on Friday suggested Israel’s actions in Gaza may have violated the terms of the agreement, a wide-ranging pact that covers economic cooperation in key industries, political dialogue and trade.
In its submission to the EU’s diplomatic service, which conducted the review, the Israeli government set out the existential threat it faces from Iran and its proxies in Hamas, including the massacre of 1,200 people and mass hostage takings of Oct. 7, 2023.
“In the midst of this grim reality, the European Union is considering a ‘review’ of its relationship with Israel. This is not a policy adjustment — it is a moral distortion,” Israel said in the document, dated June 18.
“Such an initiative is not only unjustified; it is outrageous and indecent,” Israel said. “It reflects a blunt failure to distinguish between a democracy defending its citizens, and genocidal countries and organizations that target Israeli civilians and use their own as human shields. It demonstrates a blindness to the real threat: to Israel, to regional stability, and ultimately to Europe itself.”
The review is one of the most contentious foreign policy decisions facing the EU. It comes at an exceptionally sensitive moment in the Middle East conflict, after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered American bombers to join Israel’s military offensive and destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend.
Monday meeting
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, will formally present the findings to ministers from EU governments at a meeting on Monday. The bloc will then need to decide what steps, if any, to take in response.
Potential action ranges from doing nothing to limiting parts of trade or other elements of the deal, and even suspending the entire agreement, though that would require an unlikely unanimous agreement from the bloc’s 27 countries.
The furor comes as leaders in Europe struggle to make progress in their effort to broker peace in the Middle East. Israel was frustrated with European powers for launching negotiations with Iran while it was still trying to win the war it began just over a week ago.
Relations have grown increasingly strained in recent months amid ongoing difficulties supplying humanitarian aid to many thousands of people in Gaza who NGOs said were at serious risk of starvation. That Gaza crisis prompted EU governments including normally loyal Israel supporters such as the Netherlands to back calls for a review of the association agreement.
Israel said the process Kallas oversaw was “deeply troubling” and relied on evidence that was “rife with bias.” The European External Action Service, which Kallas leads, sent Israel a letter containing eight questions as part of its review process on June 12. Israel replied six days later.
“This is neither moral nor constructive diplomacy,” the Israeli document said. “There was no due process. No hearing. No draft for comments, only a list of questions! Not even a minimal opportunity for Israel to respond, to defend itself, or to be treated with the respect owed to any sovereign nation — let alone one that is a strategic partner of the European Union.”
In the detail of its response to a series of eight questions from the EU review team, the Israeli government denied that it is “an occupier of Palestinian territories” and said Hamas continues to exercise governmental responsibilities in Gaza.
The voice of Germany will be key in deciding what happens next. Long a staunch ally of Israel, Germany’s leadership is now more outspoken in its critique of the Gaza situation, as is the European Commission’s German president, Ursula von der Leyen.
Trump’s decision to join Israel’s direct war with Iran is also likely to shape the discussion over how the EU should respond to the Kallas review.
The post Israel savages EU over ‘outrageous and indecent’ human rights review appeared first on Politico.
