The push to ramp up pressure on Israel is in focus this week as the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas presides over a meeting of the Global Alliance for a Two-State Solution as well as at a gathering of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Ministers are expected to raise the subject of West Bank sanctions and the Association Agreement — although one EU diplomat from a mid-sized EU country and the EU official quoted above said that countries might avoid moving ahead in deference to peace talks between Israel and Lebanon.
Tensions ramp up
The push to revisit sanctions comes as EU leaders intensify their criticism of Israel over its actions in Lebanon and over a controversial law, backed by Netanyahu, that authorizes the death penalty for terrorists from the Palestinian territories.
Kallas blasted the bill — which comes ahead of Israeli elections due later this year — as a “grave regression,” in a statement issued on behalf of the bloc on March 31. Germany, France and the United Kingdom also warned that the law would “risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regard to democratic principles.”
Right-wing ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition, though not the prime minister himself, have responded to the criticism by accusing opponents of weakness and urging Israel’s Supreme Court not to block the law’s application. A spokesperson for Israel’s embassy to the European Union declined to comment for this article.
The bill is also expected to fuel renewed efforts to impose sanctions on Israel, including reviving debate over the EU-Israel Association Agreement, though the two diplomats said no specific measures had yet been tabled.
“The mood is shifting,” said a second senior EU official who is involved in organizing diplomatic conversations about Israel. “Look at the Merz comments and what’s been happening in Italy,” the official added, saying much would depend on the Lebanon peace process.