EU Halts Aid Programs with Israel
(MENAFN) The European Union has decided to pause its joint assistance initiatives with Israel and block related financial transfers due to the Jewish state’s continuing blockade of Gaza, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen revealed on Wednesday.
Von der Leyen emphasized that the crisis in Gaza has “shaken the conscience of the world.”
She added that beyond suspending payments, the EC will move forward with penalties targeting “extremist ministers and violent settlers” and will also “propose a partial suspension of the Association Agreement on trade-related matters.”
Previously, the EC had also recommended limiting Israel’s access to the EU’s Horizon research program for start-up firms.
However, von der Leyen explained that this measure cannot yet be enforced, as it requires backing from a qualified majority of the bloc’s 27 nations.
The plan is currently resisted by Germany, Italy, Hungary, and several additional countries.
Von der Leyen underlined that the EU “cannot afford to be paralyzed” while facing “catastrophic” visuals from Gaza, where people are being “killed while begging for food” and “mothers holding lifeless babies.”
According to available figures, more than 64,000 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza since Israel began its military operation two years ago, launched in retaliation to Hamas’ 2023 assault that left 1,200 dead and roughly 250 taken hostage.
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