The European Commission will officially present sanctions against Israel on Wednesday, while the Israeli military presses ahead with a ground offensive in Gaza City.
“Tomorrow, during the College meeting, commissioners will be adopting a package of measures on Israel,” Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said Tuesday during a briefing.
The plan includes suspending certain trade provisions under the EU-Israel Euro-Mediterranean Agreement and sanctioning extremist government ministers and violent settlers.
The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas and Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will provide further details during a press conference Wednesday.
The proposals were first outlined by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her annual State of the Union speech in Strasbourg last week.
“What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world,” von der Leyen said. “We will propose sanctions on the extremist ministers and on violent settlers. And we will also propose a partial suspension of the Association Agreement on trade-related matters.”
The measures require approval by EU member countries, a difficult hurdle to clear given deep divisions in the bloc over the Middle East, but are a clear political signal of Brussels’ growing disapproval of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Israel launched a ground offensive in Gaza City late Monday, escalating its campaign against Hamas after weeks of heavy bombardment.
Meanwhile, a United Nations Commission concluded in a report published Tuesday that Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
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