EU ministers reject suspending dialogue with Israel

EU foreign ministers rejected a proposal from the bloc’s top diplomat to suspend diplomatic dialogue with Israel. Josep Borrell had been a persistent and vocal critic of Israel in his last year in office.PoliticsEurope

EU ministers reject suspending dialogue with Israel

EU foreign ministers rejected a proposal from the bloc’s top diplomat to suspend diplomatic dialogue with Israel. Josep Borrell had been a persistent and vocal critic of Israel in his last year in office.

The EU’s relationship with Israel has split the bloc with some members remaining committed supporters while others have criticized Israeli operations in Gaza and Lebanon

European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday but did not support pausing the bloc’s diplomatic dialogue with Israel, as proposed by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Ahead of the meeting, Borrell said such a move would aim to put pressure on the Israeli government after it had ignored several pleas to adhere to international law in the war in the Gaza Strip.

Having frequently criticized Israel in unusually strong terms by the standards of European leaders over the past year, the Spanish politician told reporters before the meeting that he had “no more words” for the situation in Gaza. 

“It’s about 44,000 people killed in Gaza, the whole area is being destroyed, and 70% of the people being killed are women or children,” he said.

The proposal, considered as Borrell’s parting shot before he leaves office, was widely seen as being unlikely to be accepted by the ministers, and would have required a unanimous decision from all 27 member states. 

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp was among those voicing disagreement with the