The European Union sharpens its line against Israel: “The situation is getting worse”

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sharpens the tone towards Israel: yesterday (Friday) she sharply attacked the Israeli policy in Judea and Samaria and again threatened to suspend the trade clause in the association agreement between the Union and Jerusalem.

“The continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is in no way acceptable,” Von der Leyen stated. She attacked with harsh words and emphasized: “The violence used to promote this expansion is abominable.” According to her, these moves harm the future of the two-state solution, which in the view of the Union remains “the only viable way to achieve sustainable peace”. She emphatically concluded her words on the subject: “The situation is clearly deteriorating.”

The president repeated the measures being considered by the Union against Israel. In her announcement, she mentioned the Commission’s proposal to suspend the trade clause in the association agreement with Israel – a step that she said would have a “significant economic impact”, but noted that the ball is now in the hands of the member states, who must vote on it with a qualified majority.

In addition, the president referred to the sanctions recently imposed on Israelis, and noted that several countries in the Union are proposing to extend them to Minister of National Security Ben Gabir as well. “However, so far no agreement has been reached on the issue,” she admitted.

The calls in Europe for sanctions against Ben Gabir, led by France and Italy among others, recently increased following a video the minister published with flotilla activists to Gaza. The one who is currently holding back the move as a sort of “blocking block” of one country is the Czech Republic, whose Foreign Minister has pledged to Minister Gideon Sa’ar that he will not allow this. However, sources privy to the details point out that Prague is now under tremendous pressure from the other EU countries to change its position.

Von der Leyen’s attack comes against the background of fierce tensions and power struggles at the top of the European Union between her and the Union’s foreign minister, Kaya Callas – tensions that were first published in N12. Callas leads a more hostile line towards Israel, and even recently compared Israel to the apartheid regime in closed rooms – which led Sa’ar to cut ties with her.

“They are on very bad terms,” ​​said a European source, who explained that Callas is trying to pull European leaders into tough measures against Israel as part of a broader control struggle against von der Leyen. The spokeswoman for the Union, for her part, denied the reports, claiming that the allegations against Callas are “unfounded.”

Despite those reports of internal disagreements, von der Leyen’s words reflect a significant deterioration in the public messages from one of the most senior figures in the European Union towards Israel, along with a signal that the discussion on economic measures and additional sanctions still remains open on the member states’ table.