‘Israel must be unequivocally condemned:’ Kilkenny senator calls for stronger EU sanctions

Carlow/Kilkenny based Social Democrat Senator Patricia Stephenson called for a full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in addition to the European Commission’s proposal for a partial suspension and sanctions on violent settlers and extremist ministers.

“After almost two years of genocide in Gaza, it is incredible that the EU is only now waking up to the blatant human rights abuses by Netanyahu’s government, which are in clear breach of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement,” said Senator Stephenson, who is also her party’s foreign affairs spokesperson.

“While a hardening of the EU’s position is a positive development, we ultimately need to see a suspension of the full agreement to put real pressure on Israel to end its murderous campaign in Gaza, which has left almost 65,000 dead and countless others facing enforced starvation,” she added.

The proposed sanctions would place tariffs on Israeli imports, but not suspend trade, something which the EU Trade Commissioner estimates would have a relatively small impact with losses of just €227 million per year.

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“It is welcome that two hardline members of Israel’s right-wing government, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are to be sanctioned as part of the EU Commission’s proposals. However, the reality is that the brutal apartheid regime goes well beyond these two individuals. The EU should also be targeting organisations that fund and support the illegal settlement campaign,” Senator Stephenson outlined.

“In announcing the proposals, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said the aim of the sanctions is not to punish Israel, but to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The use of such weak language in the face of a genocide is deeply unhelpful, Israel must be unequivocally condemned for its war crimes and held fully accountable for its actions by the international community.”

The sanctions have been called ‘morally and politically distorted’ by Israel and with Germany and Italy already expressing opposition to the limited proposals, it seems unlikely that they will gather the necessary majority to be implemented.

However, Senator Stephenson is still calling on Ireland to push for the passing of the measures in the EU parliament and for promised legislation to be brought in by the Government in the Dáil.

“A qualified majority of EU member states will be required to get these initial sanctions over the line. Ireland must use its influence to convince other countries to support the proposal so the measures can be urgently implemented, and then push for a full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.”

“For our part, the government must now ensure that the Occupied Territories Bill, to include a ban on goods and services, is enacted without further delay. This must be a priority as the Dáil returns from summer recess,” she concluded.

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