European Commission President Backs Gaza Sanctions Against Israel
In recent developments, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, voiced her support for the extensive penalties suggested on Israel this week. These proposed sanctions were a reaction to the military undertakings in the Gaza Strip. Leyen has expressed her anxieties in a documented exchange, recounting her understanding of the severity of the Hamas-led incursions in October 2023 that rattled Israel to its very foundation.
However, she draws attention to the even more disconcerting events that have unfolded since then. She highlights the alarming issues of a contrived famine and the financial withering of the Palestinian Authority. Leyen is firm in her assertion that a two-state solution, where a Palestinian state can exist in harmony with Israel, stands as the singular possibility for lasting peace.
She further emphasizes the alarming trend seen in the recent actions from the Israeli government which seem determined to subvert the two-state solution. In Leyen’s view, this fundamental challenge is what led the commission to take action and propose a set of uniquely aimed and proportionate steps for advancing towards resolution.
This previous week, the commission suggested numerous punitive steps to encourage a shift in the Israeli government’s war policy, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Significantly, these suggested measures included the pausing of certain trade advantages, which encompass approximately one-third of Israeli goods shipped to the European Union.
Moreover, the proposed measures envisage political targeting of distinctly zealous Israeli politicians. At the same time, the commission is exploring new sanctions against Hamas, the Islamist group, Palestinian jihadists, and violent settler factions.
Notably, it remains uncertain if these recommendations penned by the commission will gain the necessary approval from the collective of the EU’s 27 member nations. The decision to halt trade privileges for Israel would necessitate concurrence from fifteen countries, these countries should collectively represent at least 65% of the total population of the European Union.
Against these proposed measures, Gideon Saar, the Israeli Foreign Minister, made his stance evident. he declared the EU recommendations to be ‘morally and politically skewed.’ Further, he intimated an impending retaliation from Israel should any actions be taken against the nation.