The review of the agreement made by the EU Commission was presented to the countries' foreign ministers on Monday.
–The review is very clear: Israel has breached Article 2 (which stipulates that the parties must act with respect for human rights), explains Foreign Minister Kallas at his press conference after the meeting.
The next step will now be to discuss the result with the Israelis.
–We will contact Israel to present what we have found and see how we can improve the situation on the spot, says Kallas.
”Children are starving”
Demands have already been made to pause or even terminate the agreement, which governs both political and economic cooperation with Israel. However, both Kallas and Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (The Moderate Party) seem to see the review primarily as an opportunity to put pressure on the Israelis to act.
The most important thing is that we see a significant change and that food, medicine, and water now enter Gaza. We cannot watch while children starve, said Malmer Stenergard on her way to the meeting.
She wants the Commission to present different alternatives on how to proceed, but does not want to go into what she would support in that case.
It's a hypothetical question. What I want is that we get proposals now on how one could proceed to achieve results, because that's what matters to me, said the Foreign Minister.
Germany says no
Malmer Stenergard does not seem to expect a proposal to pause from the Commission.
I find it difficult to see that they would do that at this point, but that question we will of course take a stand on later, said the Foreign Minister.
Kallas notes for his part that they are still only "at the beginning of the discussion, not the end".
–We will discuss further measures and return in July (when the foreign ministers meet next), says the Foreign Minister.
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is meanwhile clear that his country does not want to terminate the agreement.
–We need this association agreement and should not question it. But the humanitarian situation must be addressed, says Wadephul in Brussels.
Wiktor Nummelin/TT
Facts: EU and Israel
TT
The EU and Israel have had an association agreement since 2000 that regulates economic and political cooperation.
In the agreement, it is stipulated, among other things, that cooperation "shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles".
Criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza has led to the EU Commission reviewing how Israel lives up to the agreement.
According to leaked information, for example, it is stated that "The blockade and siege of Gaza by Israel is equivalent to collective punishment... and can also mean that starvation is used as a weapon".
