EU Criticised For Pausing Sanctions On Israel In Response To Trump’s Gaza Efforts
Recently, the European Union has delayed the sanctions imposed on Israel because of its 2 years brutality on Gaza. Human rights groups, civil society organizations, and EU lawmakers are criticizing the EU for persistently destroying Gaza. Agnès Callamard, who is the Secretary General of Amnesty International, stated that “The EU’s refusal to suspend its agreement with Israel is a cruel and unlawful betrayal of the European project and vision, predicated on upholding international law and fighting authoritarian practices, of the European Union’s own rules and of the human rights of Palestinians. This will be remembered as one of the most disgraceful moments in the EU’s history.”
Why were the Suctions Imposed?
On September 15, 2025, the European Commission proposed the proposal. It was aimed at suspending parts of the EU-Israel association agreement, which was once brokered for trade and is still functional.
In this proposal, it was insisted that sanctions be imposed on two far-right Israeli ministers, along with violent settlers. The core purpose was to restrain Israel from frequent brutal assaults on Palestinian citizens because wars should happen between armed forces; innocent citizens shouldn’t be killed in them.
The proposal also emphasized the suspension of payments to Israel, affecting future allocations from 2025 to 2027. However, now the EU foreign ministers say that the reason behind this delay is the “fragile” ceasefire currently being brokered by Donald Trump. Kaja Kallas says that “The ceasefire has changed the context, which is very clear for everybody. However, unless we see real and sustained change on the ground, including more aid reaching Gaza, the threat of sanctions remains on the table.”
Proposed Trade Suspension and Sanctions Falter Amid Internal EU Divisions
According to Donald Trump, “The cease-fire in the Gaza Strip is still in place.” However, Spain’s foreign minister said, “We are far from achieving everything we want, final peace, a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian aid, [and] a two-state solution. It is currently necessary to uphold sanctions.”
It has been over one month since the European Union reached formal approval. However, it lacks consensus on enforcing the sanctions and suspending trade privileges.
Since 2000, there has been a trade agreement between the EU and Israel. Article 2 of this agreement strongly emphasizes human rights. However, in the last two years of the Gaza war, Israel showed that it doesn’t care about human lives at all.
On 20th May, a formal review of Article 2 was launched by the European Union, but they were divided on approval. Germany and Austria remained hesitant to approve, while Ireland, Slovenia, and Spain supported the sanctions. Another country, Sweden, stated that the sanctions should be against Netanyahu himself and his cabinet rather than the whole of Israel.
After some time, the European Union president, Ursula von der Leyen, confirmed that all the payments to Israel were frozen. However, she also said that broader sanctions on the entire country lacked complete support and were still pending.
The associate director of EU advocacy and Human Rights Watch, Claudio Francavilla, stated that “Sanctions, trade measures needed to uphold international law, end apartheid.”
Critics Warn EU Risks Undermining Its Human Rights Commitments
Israel’s cruelty is still going on even after the ceasefire. EU delay is harming its own reputation more than anything else. If it stays quiet for longer and fails to agree with all the members, it will leave a lasting impression on its credibility and members’ mutual respect. Its quietness is actually emboldening the violations. Around two hundred NGOs and trade unions from all around the world are calling for the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel trade pact. However, let’s watch if human rights are set beyond political interests.
