Brussels - Saba:
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaya Kallas have announced that the EU-Israel Association Agreement will be reviewed amid the "catastrophic" situation in Gaza.
At the conclusion of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday, Kallas said, "We have a strong majority in favor of reviewing Article 2 (on respect for human rights) of the Association Agreement with Israel. So we will proceed with this matter."
She noted that a "strong majority" of EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels supported such a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in light of the events in Gaza.
She continued: "The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The aid that Israel has allowed in is a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately, unhindered, and on a large scale, because that is what is needed."
Kallas said that EU sanctions on settlers were ready, but that one member state had so far blocked them, without naming it.
Speaking in Parliament, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot welcomed the EU decision, saying that 17 of the 27 member states supported the move.
The leaders of Britain, France, and Canada confirmed on Monday that they would take "concrete steps" if the Israeli occupation did not halt its military offensive on the Gaza Strip and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.
In a joint statement, the three leaders stressed their strong opposition to the expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza, stressing that the level of humanitarian suffering in Gaza was unbearable.
The UK also announced today that it had imposed sanctions on settlers, outposts, and organizations that support violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, and suspended the free trade agreement with the Israeli occupation due to its expansion of military operations in Gaza.
Since March 2, the Israeli occupation has closed the Gaza Strip's crossings to the entry of food, relief, medical aid, and goods, causing a significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation of Palestinian civilians.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation forces have launched an aggression against the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of 53,573 civilians, the majority of whom were children and women, and the injury of 121,688 others. This is a preliminary toll, with a number of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulances and rescue teams.
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