A sharp rift in the European Union: the move that is taking shape against Israel

The European Union’s foreign ministers will meet today (Monday) in Brussels, with a fight regarding sanctions on the settlements expected to be at the center. Politico reported that a group of countries including Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain are working to form a majority that would oblige the European Commission to submit a proposal to limit trade with the settlements, while an opposing bloc led by Germany and the European Commission is trying to thwart the move.

The fight is part of a wider rift revealed in N12 between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Foreign Minister Kaia Callas. The conflict also concerns the policy towards Israel, with Callas (and hostile countries in the European Union) trying to promote measures against it in the European Union, while von der Leyen (and friendly countries such as Germany and the Czech Republic) is trying to thwart the move.

The Union’s foreign ministers are not expected to decide today whether to impose tariffs or limit imports from the settlements, but to try and obtain the necessary majority to require the Commission to submit an official proposal, on which the governments can vote later. The current situation arose after von der Leyen, at the request of the Union leaders, published a document that includes various options for measures against Israel, including trade restrictions with the settlements – but the document does not constitute an official proposal that can be brought to a vote at this stage.

Also, there is a legal dispute in the Union as to whether it is a measure in the field of trade, which requires a qualified majority, or a measure concerning the Union’s foreign policy, which requires absolute consensus. Unsurprisingly, von der Leyen and Germany support the position that a consensus is needed, while countries pushing for more drastic measures argue that a qualified majority is enough and even rely on an opinion of the legal service of the Council of the European Union, exposed by Politico.

Another consideration that was taken into account is the Israeli elections, according to European diplomats who spoke with N12, as was also published in Politico. “It is nonsense and a mistake to give Ben Gabir, Smotrich and this extreme government this award, which will only strengthen them in the elections on the one hand, and widen the rift between Europe and Israel before a possible change of government in Jerusalem on the other,” said one of the diplomats who spoke to N12.