**EU Leaders Faced with Dilemma over Israeli Aggression in Gaza**
A report presented to the European Union’s foreign ministers has found that Israel may have violated its human rights obligations under a 25-year-old commercial agreement. The report, ahead of Thursday’s European Union Leaders’ Summit, is a significant moment for EU leaders as they weigh their response to Israel’s actions on Gaza.
**Protesters Demand Action**
Outside the EU buildings in Brussels, protesters waved Palestinian flags and demanded that the EU suspend its commercial agreement with Israel over Israel’s actions in Gaza. The protest was supported by more than 100 NGOs, charities, and other organizations.
**Report Highlights Humanitarian Crisis**
According to a report from the Hamas-run health ministry, over 55,000 Gazans have been killed in 20 months of Israeli military operation, while another 1.9 million people have been forced to leave their homes. Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid deliveries has only recently been partially eased.
**EU Response Falls Short**
NGOs have criticized the EU’s response as inadequate, saying that it had missed a chance to act. The Israeli Foreign Ministry also dismissed the report as a “complete moral and methodological failure”.
**Deep Divisions Remain**
Despite the report, deep divisions still remain over the Gaza war within the EU. Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia are all against suspending the agreement with Israel.
**EU’s Soft-Power is Lost in Action**
The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Olivier De Schutter, expressed concern that the EU’s soft-power is being lost due to its inaction on Gaza. He warned that this makes it harder to convince countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to support Europe in condemning Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
**EU’s Weakness Exposed**
The episode highlights the EU’s weakness in taking a strong stance on global issues. As the world’s largest market with 450 million people, the EU struggles to translate its economic power into political influence.
**Key Players Weigh In**
Ireland and Spain are among the EU countries that have pushed for suspending the agreement between the European Union and Israel. However, Germany and Austria have refused to consider this option, citing their close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
**The Way Forward**
EU leaders face a difficult decision on how to proceed. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s chief of foreign policy, has stated that the first objective is to “change” the situation on the ground in Gaza. If this does not happen, further steps will be discussed next month about how to suspend the agreement.
**Read More**
Read More @ www.bbc.com
