The European Commission Conveys Proposals On Proposal To Postpone Trade With Israel And Sanctions For Two Ministers

JAKARTA - The European Commission submitted a proposal for a suspension of trade to sanctions against two Israeli ministers.

This follows the speech of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 10 which said the events in Gaza, Palestine had shaken the world's conscience.

"Following President Ursula von der Leyen's announcement in her state speech, the European Commission today submitted its proposal to the Council to suspend some provisions related to trade in the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel, according to a Commission statement, quoted from WAFA September 18.

In his speech before the Council of the European Union, von der Leyen also condemned "the actions and statements of the most extremist ministers of the Israeli government that sparked violence," and condemned "Israel's apparent efforts to weaken the two-state solution."

Separately from the proposal, the Commission announced it was also freezing its bilateral support for Israel, a move "impacting on the upcoming annual allocation between 2025 and 2027, as well as ongoing institutional cooperation projects with Israel and projects funded through the EU-Israel Regional Cooperation Facility."

The Commission noted that this proposal was submitted after "an review of Israel's compliance with Article 2 of the Agreement, which found the actions taken by the Government of Israel were violations of important elements related to respect for human rights and democratic principles."

"This violation refers to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza following Israeli military intervention, a blockade of humanitarian aid, an intensification of military operations, and the Israeli authorities' decision to advance settlement plans in an area called the West Bank E1, which further weakens the two-state solution," he explained.

"The terrible events that occur in Gaza every day must be stopped. There needs to be an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted access for all humanitarian aid, and the release of all the hostages being held by Hamas," said von der Leyen.

"Europe remains the largest humanitarian aid donor and a loyal supporter of the two-state solution. Reflecting on this principled commitment, and taking into account the latest serious developments in the West Bank, we propose suspending trade concessions with Israel, imposing sanctions on extremist ministers and settlers who commit violence, as well as suspending bilateral support for Israel," he added.

The commission explained that the suspension "regarding core terms related to trade in the Agreement, and in practice means imports from Israel will lose their special access to the European Union market.

"Therefore, these items will be subject to import duties at the same level as any third country that does not have a free trade agreement with the European Union."

Suspension of free trade provisions will require the approval of a majority that meets the requirements of 27 EU members, also known as the "double majority rule" consisting of at least 55 percent of member countries (15/27) and 65 percent of the EU population.

The European Union is Israel's largest trading partner, accounting for 32 percent of the total trade in Israeli goods with the world by 2024. Israel is the 31st largest trading partner of the European Union.

Total trade in goods between the European Union and Israel in 2024: 42.6 billion euros, while EU exports to Israel reached 26.7 billion euros