Does Europe really stand in the face of Israel? A report that reveals its seriousness

In an unprecedented shift, the European Commission announced a package of punitive measures targeting the Benjamin Netanyahu government, including imposing sanctions on extremist ministers and settlers and suspending the commercial facilities granted to Israel. These measures are the most serious attempt by Brussels to impose concrete consequences on the behavior of the Israeli government in Gaza and the West Bank.
UNHCR president Ursula von der Line, who has long been described as a tendency to Israel, said this time clearly: “The horrific events in Gaza must stop,” confirming that the European Union adheres to the two -state solution, which is “undermined by the recent Israeli government’s actions.” The proposed measures include re -imposing the state’s most sponsored state rates on Israeli exports worth 5.8 billion euros, along with sanctions. Personality on those responsible for inflammatory policies, in a message that Brussels considers as a turning point in its approach to Tel Aviv. However, experts see that the package is still late and incomplete, as it is absent from a central step represented in imposing a comprehensive ban on trade with the West Bank settlements, although five European countries – including the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, Belgium and Spain – have taken mono -steps In this direction, analysts also point out that the commission’s procedures ignored the continued flow of weapons from the European Union countries to Israel, which raises questions about the extent of Brussels’s commitment to its legal duties in accordance with the agreement to prevent genocide and international law. They pointed out that the International Court of Justice had stressed last year the need for all countries to stop any support that facilitates the settlement system. Observers believe that the European Commission strictly came as a direct result of Netanyahu’s right -wing policies, which prompted even the most European institutions in support of Israel to change its position. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that his country will respond to any European step, in an indication of the widening of the gap between the two sides. Although the current European steps are a necessary start to align the discourse with the action, but experts confirm that the European Union will not be able to restore its credibility unless it went ahead towards the ban on the settlement trade and the cessation of arms exports, considering that “the time of half -solutions has been.” (Responsible Statecraft)