The European Union on Wednesday proposed curbing trade ties with Israel and sanctioning ministers in its strongest action yet over the war in Gaza, though reluctance from key member states risks blocking adoption.
The bloc’s executive, however, said it would take immediate action by freezing some 20 million euros ($23.7 million) in support for Israel.
Pressure has mounted on the 27-nation bloc to act against Israel over its devastating near two-year offensive in Gaza.
“The horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said.
“There needs to be an immediate ceasefire, unrestrained access for all humanitarian aid, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.”
Under its new proposals, Brussels is pressing to suspend the parts of a cooperation deal that allow for reduced tariffs on goods coming from Israel.
Officials said the measure would hit more than a third of Israel’s exports to the EU, worth around six billion euros — including agricultural produce such as dates and nuts.
The commission also called for asset freezes and visa bans on far-right Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over their “extremist” rhetoric.
Those measures — initially floated by von der Leyen in a speech last week — represent the firmest attempt by the EU chief to pressure Israel.
“Today marks a critical turning point in holding Israel accountable,” said Irish foreign minister Simon Harris.
But opposition from states including Germany, Italy and Greece means the bloc will struggle to get the backing of enough EU countries to go through.
That reluctance has already stalled a softer proposal to cut funding to Israeli tech firms, much to the ire of the EU countries demanding action.
Von der Leyen’s commission does have the power to freeze bilateral support.
That step will not include funds going to help civil society groups and Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
– ‘Appropriate response’ –
Israel called the move “morally and politically distorted”.
“Any action against Israel will receive an appropriate response, and we hope we will not have to use them,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas insisted the aim was “not to punish Israel” but to try to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The push for action within the EU comes as Israel has drawn fresh international condemnation by launching a major ground assault on Gaza City.
The army unleashed a massive bombardment before dawn on Tuesday and pushed its troops deeper into the Palestinian territory’s largest urban hub.
On the same day, a UN probe said Israel was committing genocide and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials had incited the crime.
Greece, which has historically maintained close ties with Israel, warned that the country risked “alienating traditional allies and friends” with its actions.
In an interview with Ant1 TV, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis however insisted that genocide was a “very heavy term” that he would not use.
The war was sparked by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’s October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 64,964 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
The Israeli military estimates there are 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas militants in central Gaza City, and that about 40 percent of residents have fled.
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