The EU/Israel Association Council, the first of its kind since October 2022, was attended by Gideon Saar, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and no fewer than 23 European counterparts. An unusually large grouping, largely justified by the situation in Gaza (see EUROPE 13585/1).
In fact, it was this subject that set the ball rolling. Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, set out the EU’s common position on relations with the Jewish State - a declaration that came about after six weeks of tough negotiations, according to a diplomat.
At a press conference, the High Representative reiterated “the EU’s unconditional support for Israel” following the attacks on 7 October 2023. However, she insisted on the need “for all parties [to the conflict], including Israel, to respect international humanitarian law”.
The question of Israel’s respect for human rights continues to arouse indignation among some Member States and NGOs, with some going so far as to call the association agreement into question (see EUROPE 13584/19). On his arrival at the EU Council that very morning, José Manuel Albares Bueno, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed his desire to put pressure on Israel by threatening to invoke Article 2 of the agreement, which requires the signatory parties to respect fundamental rights. “We still want the agreement to be reviewed”, his Irish counterpart Simon Harris also confirmed.
These concerns were “heard” by Gideon Saar, the latter assured the conference, while pointing out that all Israel’s military actions serve the sole purpose of “self-defence”. The Israeli Minister firmly linked any end to the war to “the release of all our hostages, alive and dead; the complete demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of the armed forces of Hamas and Islamic Jihad from Gaza”.
In response to Kaja Kallas, who raised Member States’ concerns about the situation in the West Bank - where Israel has been stepping up its military operations for several weeks - Gideon Saar emphasised the “terrorist” acts that are multiplying “from what you call the West Bank and we call Judea-Samaria”. “We would have appreciated it if the Palestinian Authority had kept its commitments in the fight against terrorism. It has never done so, [so] we have to protect our own and we will continue to do so”, he asserted.
In addition, a high-level dialogue with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, is due to take place in April, according to the High Representative.
See the EU declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/fmx (Original version in French by Justine Manaud - intern)