The European Commission will propose sanctioning extremist Israeli ministers and the suspension of trade-related measures in a European Union agreement with Israel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
The proposals, announced by von der Leyen in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, reflect growing EU criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza and increased pressure on the bloc’s executive body to take action, Reuters added.
Von der Leyen said that the Commission will put its bilateral support for Israel on hold, without affecting work with Israeli civil society and Yad Vashem, Israel’s main Holocaust memorial centre. She did not provide details on how much funding would be impacted.
The Commission chief said the body will set up a Palestine Donor Group next month, including an instrument for Gaza reconstruction.
The Commission had previously proposed curbing Israeli access to its flagship research funding program, but failed to garner sufficient support from EU member countries for the move.
Von der Leyen acknowledged the divisions within Europe on Gaza, but she pledged the European Commission would do what it can on its own.
