Ireland is pressing its EU allies to support a bloc-wide ban on trade with the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. On his way into an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, the Taoiseach said the bloc’s credibility has been “undermined by the failure to take a strong stance” against breaches of international law by Israel.“By any standard, by any objective assessment, what has happened in Gaza, what is currently happening in Gaza is unacceptable by any moral code,” the Taoiseach told reporters.“When we go to other countries,
and we say to them, in terms of Ukraine and the Russian invasion in Ukraine, or what’s happening in Sudan, I think our credibility is damaged by our failure to act.”Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands are three EU countries that have taken action to restrict trade and diplomatic dealings with the occupied territories.Momentum has been building for the EU itself to take action, but the European Commission is loath to make a proposal to restrict trade from Gaza and the West Bank as it does
not have the required majority of EU governments’ backing.EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said the commission should table a legal proposal before the next meeting of EU foreign ministers in July. Any proposal to restrict trade would require a double majority of EU countries with the biggest populations to back it. Diplomatic sources say that majority is not yet in place, though around 12 countries have indicated they would support a ban. Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Bulgaria are against the idea. The
positions of Germany and Italy, two of the bloc’s largest member states, are unclear.“If it’s put to a vote at some stage, then that might create its own dynamic in terms of member states’ positions in respect of Israel’s behaviour in Lebanon, in Gaza, and indeed in the West Bank,” the Taoiseach said on Thursday.“There’s a growing number of countries who want action from a European level in terms of trade with the occupied territories, and we will push that,” he said.Pressure has been mounting
recently on the EU to take action against Israel under its 26-year-old free trade and “association agreement” with the bloc.A 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said that Israel is breaching international human rights and humanitarian law in Gaza and the West Bank and that countries are under obligation not to help Israel maintain its “illegal” presence there.Last year the European Commission tabled a partial suspension of Israeli-based firms and entrepreneurs from accessing European research funding, but it has yet to
be approved. At the time, the commission said Israel had “materially” breached the association agreement on human rights grounds.Last week EU foreign ministers failed to agree on sanctions against Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. EU leaders will discuss the matter during the second day of their Brussels summit on Friday.
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