EU member state calls for sanctions on Israel – media

Irish Deputy Prime Minister and top diplomat Simon Harris is reaching out to EU foreign ministers to push for sanctions on Israel over the Gaza conflict, Irish public broadcaster RTE has reported.

Harris is reportedly asking his “EU counterparts, which are considering unilateral moves on trade measures” to co-sign a letter to the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, urging a swift decision on sanctions, RTE wrote on Monday, citing a copy of the correspondence.

“As Member States, we stand ready to work with you immediately to overcome the current obstacles and ensure that sufficient pressure is applied to the Israeli government to change its course and meet its obligations according to international law,” the letter reportedly said.

Last week, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called the situation in Gaza “unacceptable,” and called on member states to “step up” and impose sanctions on Israel’s “extremist ministers and on violent settlers.”

“First, the Commission will do all that it can on its own. We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold,” she said in a speech in Strasbourg. She also proposed the EU partially freeze its free trade agreement with Israel.

Multiple EU members including Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands have called for the deal to be suspended. Others, led by Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic, have opposed sanctioning Israel.

International pressure on Israel has been mounting over its military operation in Gaza.

The conflict has raged on since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a series of raids on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 captive back to the enclave. The death toll among Palestinians has climbed to 64,905 as of Monday, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Moscow has long maintained that a two-state solution is the only way to end the conflict.