Israel cautions Europe as EU leader pushes partial sanctions

The measures under consideration include suspending the trade chapter of the EU-Israel association agreement, which would withdraw preferential access for Israeli goods to European markets.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

While the European Commission announced plans on Tuesday to impose new sanctions on Israel, Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the European Union not to take steps that could cause lasting damage to bilateral ties.

EU spokesperson Paula Pinho told reporters in Brussels that commissioners will on Wednesday “be adopting a package of measures on Israel,” including “a proposal to suspend certain trade provisions in the agreements between the EU and Israel.”

In Jerusalem, Herzog received the credentials of incoming EU Ambassador Michael Anthony Mann. He stressed that Israel values its partnership with Europe despite tensions over the war in Gaza.

“Mr. Ambassador, you are coming at a turbulent time,” Herzog said. “We are very concerned about the flood of initiatives and statements – including from senior European leaders such as President von der Leyen – which, in our opinion, misinterpret Israel’s actions and its contribution to the defense of Europe. I hope that Europe will be wise enough not to take irreversible steps.”

Herzog was referring to von der Leyen’s address to EU lawmakers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, where she proposed a partial suspension of the European Union’s association agreement with Israel.

“What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world.”

The measures under consideration include suspending the trade chapter of the EU-Israel association agreement, which would withdraw preferential access for Israeli goods to European markets.

The EU, Israel’s largest trading partner, accounted for nearly a third of the country’s international trade in goods last year. Ending preferential access would lead to higher tariffs on Israeli goods and services, not an outright boycott.

Implementing such a suspension would require the backing of 15 of the EU’s 27 member states, representing 65% of the bloc’s population.

Even without unanimous support, von der Leyen vowed that the Commission would take action where it could. She noted that much bilateral support for Israel would be put on hold.

Herzog told Mann he remains “a passionate supporter of relations between Israel and Europe,” adding that “there are those in Israel who see Europe as a lost cause, but I disagree.”

Addressing criticism over humanitarian conditions in Gaza, Herzog insisted that “there is no hunger in Gaza” and invited EU leaders to review Israeli data on aid deliveries.

He underscored that the immediate and unconditional return of hostages is “the key to ending the war and paving the way for peace.”

Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive.