Al-Azhar urges EU to suspend trade, arms embargo oni Israel as 'moral duty' - Foreign Affairs
Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE) has urged the European Union (EU) to suspend its trade agreement with Israel and impose a full arms embargo, calling it a 'moral and humanitarian obligation' amid mounting civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
The statement came after Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares on Monday called for an immediate review of EU-Israel relations, including suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement and blocking arms exports. 'Europe must show courage,' he told reporters following a high-level meeting in Brussels.
Support for the Spanish position vis-a-vis Israel is growing within the EU. According to Al-Azhar, Ireland, Belgium, and Slovenia have endorsed a stronger stance. However, any suspension would require unanimous approval—a hurdle unlikely to be cleared given opposition from Austria, Germany, and Hungary.
Al-Azhar, a leading religious institution based in Cairo, said continued cooperation with Israel 'undermines the principles of human rights' and weakens trust in international law. It added that inaction in the face of repeated civilian deaths erodes global confidence in United Nations (UN) institutions and legal norms.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has pledged to present policy options at a meeting on 15 July. Still, diplomats say a final decision will likely be deferred to the upcoming European Council summit.
Death toll mounts in Gaza
At least 71 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday, including 54 people near the US-Israel-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution points, according to Palestinian health officials. A day earlier, 29 others were reported killed, 13 of them while waiting for humanitarian aid.
Gaza's health ministry said Israel's war on the Strip has killed nearly 56,000 people since October 2023, most of them women and children. More than 131,000 others have been injured, with many still trapped under rubble. The ongoing Israeli blockade continues to restrict the delivery of basic supplies
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