The EU Commission proposed in September a temporary freeze on the trade part of the EU's cooperation agreement with Israel as well as sanctions against two Israeli ministers and more extremist Israeli settlers and Hamas representatives.
Few expect any clear signals when the foreign ministers take up the issue at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. Countries such as Hungary and the Czech Republic are still firmly against sanctions – except against Hamas – and neither Germany nor Italy are currently in favor of any trade measures.
Israel's EU ambassador wants the EU Commission to withdraw the proposals – something that is not currently relevant.
The measures have been proposed in a given context and when that context changes, it may possibly lead to the proposal being changed. But we are not there yet, says the Commission's chief spokesperson Paula Pinho.
