What was meant to be a discussion on suspending EU trade ties with Israel quickly ran into resistance, as Italy drew a firm line while Spain, Ireland and Slovenia pushed for immediate action. As the trade agreement lives on, criticism mounts.
“No decisions will be made” regarding potential sanctions on Israel, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reiterated on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council summit in Luxembourg. “The conditions are not there, and I don’t believe any measure will be put to the vote,” he explained.
Despite three countries — Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia — calling for an immediate suspension of the association agreement with Israel, the situation in the Middle East has been merely “discussed” on Tuesday.
No vote
“I don’t believe blocking a trade agreement is a useful tool, because it then affects the Israeli population in general, which often has nothing to do with the actions committed by the military or which are then blamed on the government,” Tajani explained.
According to Italy, “there are neither the numerical nor the political conditions” to suspend the EU-Israel agreement — signaling that the ministers didn’t end up holding a vote on the issue.
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The summit exposes a division in the EU member states foreign policies. While for Spain, “Europe is risking its credibility” if it does not suspend the agreement, the Italian minister claims “it is better to individually sanction those responsible, such as violent settlers, and strengthen sanctions.”
Italy therefore remains “strongly perplexed” by the proposal to suspend the agreement and remains firm in its position. One that Tajani believes “is similar to that of the Federal Republic of Germany”.
At least give us something, Ireland asks
Others, however, hold an oposing view. Among those asking for a more radical approach is Ireland. According to its Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee, Dublin will ensure that the topic will not die with today’s summit — but will shape the next one as well.
If an agreement on the full suspension cannot be reached, McEntee says, at least partial steps should be taken. “Today I will ask all our colleagues to support our request to suspend the overall agreement, but if we cannot reach that full agreement, we would like to suspend the trade elements,” McEntee said prior to the summit.
