Netanyahu must come back from the brink or face costly EU sanctions

Renew Europe welcomes the European Commission's proposal for economic sanctions against Israel as a necessary first step towards ensuring accountability for violations of international humanitarian law. This development follows the European Parliament resolution passed last Thursday 11 September, which Renew Europe initiated, explicitly calling on the EU to adopt a comprehensive series of sanctions against the current Government of Israel. This is a direct response to the catastrophic choices and extremism it has chosen to pursue.

The proposed partial suspension of the core trade-related component of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and reimposition of customs duties on a series of goods, abolished by the 1995 Association Agreement represents progress in addressing the ongoing humanitarian tragedy.

We also welcome the proposed sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and settlers, as well as the reinforced package against 10 Hamas members, based on a new listing criterion under the Hamas Sanctions Regime.

However, Renew Europe emphasizes that these measures, while significant, falls short of what is required to effectively respond to the gravity of the situation.

Hilde Vautmans (Open VLD, Belgium), Renew coordinator for foreign affairs stated : “I can only welcome the Commission’s proposal and urge all EU Member States to support it by immediately reintroducing tariffs on Israeli goods and by approving the proposed sanctions against terrorist organisation Hamas, and against Israeli ministers and settlers. Yet, as Parliament underlined in its resolution last week, much more will be needed. Economic sanctions alone are not enough. We must ensure that humanitarian aid reaches every person in need, that all parties involved respect international law and that we begin the path toward a two-state solution by recognizing the State of Palestine—once all hostages have been released and with the clear condition that Hamas play no role in Gaza’s future.”

Renew Europe maintains that the current Government of Israel's non-compliance with its international obligations regarding international humanitarian law constitutes a clear violation of Article 2 of the Association Agreement. This article establishes respect for human rights and democratic principles as core elements of the EU-Israel partnership as recalled by the European Parliament resolution.

We will continue to advocate for comprehensive measures that ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law and protect civilian populations.

Renew Europe calls the Member States to swiftly adopt this package of sanctions. Public opinion would not understand that a blocking minority prevents the adoption of these measures.

And foremost, we urge the Government of Israel to change course and respect international law instead of repeatedly breaking it.