TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - European countries are increasing pressure on Israel to halt its intensive operations in Gaza and allow more aid into the war-torn region, where rescue workers say hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent days in airstrikes, fresh ground attacks, and widespread starvation.
On Tuesday, the European Union and the United Kingdom confirmed they would re-evaluate their trade cooperation agreements with Israel. As reported by France24 and Al Jazeera, this decision is based on allegations of human rights violations caused by Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
In London, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the parliament that Israel's policy to block aid and "widen the war" in Gaza was "indefensible."
The horrific humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has sparked international condemnation, with the European Union stating it will re-evaluate its trade cooperation agreements with Israel over alleged human rights violations following a meeting of foreign ministers on Tuesday.
European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said “a strong majority” of its 27 member countries who met in Brussels supported the move. Kallas added, “the countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable... and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid”.
The move aims to determine whether Israel has violated its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Sweden said it would pressure the EU to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers. “Since we do not see a clear improvement for the civilians in Gaza, we need to raise the tone further,” said Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.
Speaking in parliament, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the decision and said 17 out of 27 EU member states had supported the proposal.
Kallas also confirmed that EU sanctions targeting violent Israeli settlers had been drawn up but were still blocked by one member state, which was not named.
“The aid that Israel has allowed in is, of course, welcomed,” Kallas said. “But it’s a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately, without obstruction and at scale, because this is what is needed.”
UK Summons Israeli Ambassador
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Shutterstock
Separately, the UK also suspended free trade negotiations with Israel, summoned Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, and imposed sanctions on settlers in the occupied West Bank in its toughest action yet against Israel's conduct in the conflict.
“Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible and it must stop,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy passionately said in his speech to the parliament.
The action came a day after the UK, France, and Canada condemned Israel's handling of the Gaza war and attacks and raids in the West Bank.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharpened his criticism of Israel on Tuesday, saying the level of suffering of children in Gaza was "utterly intolerable" and reiterating his call for a ceasefire.
As settler violence against Palestinians, supported by the Israeli military, has escalated in recent months, Lammy said the continuous cycle of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank demanded action.
In addition to previous sanctions, the UK has now imposed sanctions on “three individuals, two illegal settler outposts and two organisations supporting violence against the Palestinian community,” he added.
He said the existing UK-Israel trade agreement remains in place. Still, new discussions cannot be held with the Israeli government carrying out “egregious policies” in Gaza and the West Bank.
“The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions,” Lammy said. “Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities and the two-state solution in peril.”
UK Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer will also tell Israeli ambassador to the UK, Hotovely, that "the 11-week block on aid to Gaza has been cruel and indefensible," Lammy said.
Israel quickly condemned the UK's decision: “Even prior to today’s announcement, the free trade agreement negotiations were not being advanced at all by the current UK government,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry called the UK's sanctions "unjustified and regrettable."
Weapons for Israel
The Labour government has come under fierce domestic criticism for not saying or doing enough to support Palestinians who continue to be attacked and face starvation in the besieged Gaza Strip. Thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators have taken to the streets for weekly marches in the UK.
Former Labour Party leader and independent parliament member Jeremy Corbyn told Al Jazeera that the “only one way the government can cease its complicity in genocide” is by "ending military cooperation with Israel and imposing sanctions."
Although the Labour government suspended some arms export licenses to Israel, it made an exception for the F-35 fighter jet program, citing its obligations to the international supply chain.
Meanwhile, a report from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International, and Workers for a Free Palestine revealed earlier this month that the UK had sent “8,630 separate munitions” since the partial weapons halt began in September.
According to data released by the UK government on Thursday, it approved military equipment worth 127.6 million pounds for Israel in single export licenses between October and December 2024, despite the partial arms embargo that began in September.
Last week, a High Court case was launched challenging the UK's handling of arms export controls to Israel.
The Israeli military has carried out brutal attacks on Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,600 Palestinian civilians, most of whom were women and children.
Editor's Choice: UN: 14,000 Babies in Gaza Will Die from Starvation in 24 Hours
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
