The European Union will review its Association Agreement (free trade) with Israel following its decision to expand military operations and ban the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as announced by EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
This means the EU will examine whether Israel has violated its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the agreement.
The decision was made yesterday with the support of 17 out of 27 EU foreign ministers. Among those who voted in favor of the Dutch proposal were France, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden, while Greece, Cyprus, Italy, and Germany were among the 10 who voted against.
The UN stated that no aid has been distributed in Gaza, despite the arrival of trucks carrying food and essential supplies.
A few hours earlier, the United Kingdom announced that it was suspending negotiations for a free trade agreement with Israel, as the “shameful policies” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza and the West Bank made “progress in the discussions impossible.”
This followed a joint statement on Monday from 24 countries (Greece was not among them) urging Israel to allow full access to humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. In addition to 20 European countries, the statement was co-signed by Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Canada.
The absence of Greece from the list of 24 countries prompted a response from the Palestinian Ambassador to Greece, who contacted the New Left, which issued a statement, while the Communist Party (KKE) submitted a parliamentary question regarding the government’s stance on the situation in Gaza.
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