Israel Fails To Fulfill European Union Promises To Streamline Aid To Enter Gaza, Sweden-Netherlands Urge Trade Sanctions

The Israeli military carried out shooting exercises with physical targets that used digital features before being deployed to the battlefield, including to Gaza. (doc IDF-idf.il)

JAKARTA - Sweden and the Netherlands have jointly urged the European Union (EU) to suspend trade with Israel as a form of pressure given the already intolerable humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the discourse on the construction of large illegal settlements of the zionist regime in the West Bank.

In a joint letter to the Head of Foreign Policy of the European Union Kaja Kallas obtained by Irish media RTE News quoted from Anadolu, the two countries also accused Israel of failing to implement a July agreement with the EU on increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The July deal between Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has prevented various sanctions against Tel Aviv, including the suspension of trade cooperation in the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

The Dutch and Swedish foreign ministers, in a letter with him, said they now "support the suspension of the trade chapter of the European Union-Israel Association Agreement and called on the Commission (Europe) to submit a proposal for this purpose."

The two Foreign Ministers also called for sanctions against "Israel's extremist ministers who promote illegal settlers' activities, and actively oppose negotiations on a two-state solution."

The two further urged Kallas to provide a written analysis of EU compliance with the 2024 International Court's legal opinion regarding Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.

The letter also stressed the role of Hamas so-called "charging a great responsibility for the disaster situation" in Gaza and asked Hamas to relinquish power, lay off arms, and release Israeli hostages.

The two Foreign Ministers also described the approval of the E1 Development Plan by Israel's High Planning Council which will expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank as a real violation of international law.

"These violations are unacceptable and seriously disrupt the connection of the Palestinian territory in the future," they said in a letter with him to Kallas.