Borrell asks the Twenty-Seven to suspend political dialogue with Israel for violating human rights in Gaza and Lebanon

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, informed the EU Member States this Wednesday about his proposal to suspend political dialogue with Israel, diplomatic sources indicated.

This proposal by the head of European diplomacy is based on the provisions of the Association Agreement on human rightsEU diplomatic sources specified.

The proposal will be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council, scheduled for Monday next in Brussels, to see what the Member States think about it.

In this way, Borrell fulfills his promise to take this matter to the last Foreign Affairs Council who will preside before handing over the baton to the Estonian Kaja Kallas.

According to reports from independent international organizations, there are reasons to consider that Israel is violating human rightss and international humanitarian law, the sources added.

They noted that the proposal to suspend political dialogue does not mean the suspension of the Association Agreement or the Association Council.

In fact, they added, it may be something that can be discussed in the Association Council with Israel.

Now, the proposal formally puts on the table the debate between Member States about how they see Israel’s behavior and whether they believe that the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu may be violating human rights and international humanitarian law.

At the same time, diplomatic sources said, it is a “serious political signal” about how the EU views the behavior of the Israeli authorities over the war in Gaza and Lebanon.

This step comes after Borrell confirmed the impossibility of meeting the Association Council with Israel to listen to the head of that country’s diplomacy, as the foreign ministers of the Twenty-seven had requested before last summer.