EU foreign ministers on Tuesday will discuss a raft of options for action against Israel over the war in Gaza — but likely will not agree on any.
The diplomats — including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani — have assembled in Brussels for the EU–Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting, aimed at strengthening cooperation between the EU and partners in the Mideast and North Africa.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has put forward 10 potential steps after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds.
An EU report last month addressed Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza, amid the war against the Hamas terror group there, and the rise in unpunished settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since the war broke out on October 7, 2023.
Proposed sanctions range from suspending the entire cooperation deal or curbing trade ties, to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel.
But despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over how to tackle Israel and diplomats say there appears to be no critical mass for any move.
“I was asked to give the inventory of the options that could be taken and it’s up to the member states to discuss what do we do with these options,” Kallas said Monday.
The tone of discussions will be shaped strongly by how Israel is implementing a promise to the EU to improve humanitarian access to Gaza.
Kallas said Thursday she had struck a deal with her Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, to open more entry points and allow in more food.
“We see some good signs of more trucks getting in,” Kallas said Monday.
“But of course we know that this is not enough and we need to push more [so] that the implementation of what we have agreed also happens on the ground.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the situation in Gaza remained “catastrophic.”
Sa’ar, however, sounded confident Israel would avoid further EU action.
“I’m sure not any of them will be adopted by the EU member states,” said the foreign minister. “There’s no justification whatsoever.”
While the EU appears unable for now to take any further moves against Israel, just getting to this stage has been a considerable step.
The bloc only agreed to review the cooperation deal after Israel resumed fighting in Gaza following the collapse of a ceasefire in March.
Until then deep divisions between countries backing Israel and those more favorable to the Palestinians had hamstrung any move.
In Brussels Monday, Sa’ar also noted the presence of his Syrian counterpart Shaibani.
“We welcome the participation of the Syrian minister. We will be together in the same meeting. Let’s see what will happen,” Sa’ar told reporters after arriving in the Belgian capital.
The joint attendance of the two ministers drew attention amid quiet diplomatic efforts between Israel and Syria to explore a potential security or even peace agreement. However, a spokesperson for Sa’ar told The Times of Israel that no personal meetings between the two are planned.
In an interview with Euronews, Sa’ar said Israel has no intention of maintaining permanent control over the Gaza Strip.
“We don’t have any intention to do so,” he said. “With regard to the Gaza Strip, we have only security concerns.”
Sa’ar also reiterated that Hamas “cannot be part of the future of Gaza,” and pushed back against claims that Israel’s campaign has been disproportionate, calling them “ridiculous.”
“What would you say about the Western attack against ISIS that destroyed ISIS? Was it proportionate?” he asked rhetorically.
“Israel should agree to the existence of this terrorist state, one mile from its communities… What are proportions in this case? This terror state should be eliminated as a state,” he said.