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Al-Ahram Weekly
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Azhar urges EU to suspend trade, arms exports to Israel - 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 Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
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 Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Today
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Spain FM Albares calls for suspending EU-Israel association agreement
CAIRO – 23 June 2025: Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares called on Monday for an immediate suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement to protest against human rights violations in Gaza. 'The times of words and declarations is behind' Albares said, adding that 'Palestinians in Gaza have no more time to lose.' 'If the association agreement is based on human rights, it's the most normal thing that we suspend immediately today that association agreement and that we move forward. That's why I will ask for the suspension of the association agreement, an embargo of selling weapons to Israel, and enlarging the list of people that are being sanctioned to everyone that wants to be a spoiler of the two-state solution.' The Spanish minister said upon arrival to EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday. The Spanish minister added that Europe 'must show courage in favour of peace, of international law' and defend the values it is meant to stand up for.'
Irish Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Renewed calls for EU to suspend Israel trade deal
The Spanish government has called for the European Union to suspend its free trade deal with Israel over its conduct during the war in Gaza and to sanction figures undermining a two-state solution involving Israel and Palestine . EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss possible actions the bloc could take against Israel, to put pressure on Binyamin Netanyahu 's government to address the dire humanitarian crisis it has created in Gaza. A review ordered by EU states found Israel's actions during its invasion of Gaza had likely breached its obligations to respect human rights , made in Israel's 'association agreement' with the EU. The agreement governs relations between the two sides and includes a free trade deal. Speaking on Monday, Spain's foreign minister José Manuel Albares said the EU-Israel deal should be suspended, to put pressure on Israel to stop the killing. READ MORE 'The time of words and declarations is behind ... Palestinians in Gaza have no more time to lose, every day babies, women, men are being killed,' he said on his way into the EU meeting. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's 20-month invasion of Gaza, prompting growing calls for the EU to use what leverage it has to try to restrain Israel. The conflict ignited when 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7th 2023, according to Israeli authorities The Spanish minister said the EU also needed to put an embargo on future weapon sales to Israel, and sanction individuals sabotaging the prospect of a two-state solution with economic sanctions. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said Ireland continued to support a full suspension of the EU-Israel deal, but said there was a lack of necessary consensus within the EU for such a move. The EU's response to what was happening in Gaza had been much too slow and 'far too many people have been left to die as genocide has been carried out,' Mr Harris said. The credibility of the EU was on the line, to make clear that human rights clauses in deals the union signed with other countries were not 'discretionary' and had to be respected, he said. Domestically Mr Harris said an initial draft of legislation to ban trade coming from Israeli settlements in illegally occupied Palestinian territories would be brought to Cabinet on Tuesday. The Occupied Territories Bill would propose banning the trade of goods, but Mr Harris said he remained 'open' to the legislation being expanded to also ban the trade of services. 'We need to have legal clarity as to whether that's possible or not, I've asked the Attorney General in relation to that,' he said. The recent EU review noted international agencies had documented Israel bombing hospitals and destroying vital civilian infrastructure, as well as blocking the entry of all aid into Gaza, which left people in the Palestinian enclave facing starvation. Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said his government was 'not precluding' supporting any action against Israel. 'When all the focus is on Iran and the escalation regarding Iran, we should not forget about Gaza and the terrible war that's taking place there, the terrible humanitarian situation,' he said. A ceasefire in the fighting and an agreement by Israel to stop blocking the entry of aid into Gaza were crucial, he said. Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign affairs chief who chairs the meetings, will be asked to draw up a list of possible options the union could take on foot of the recent review. Those options will likely be presented to foreign ministers at a further meeting in July.
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
EU foreign ministers meet to discuss Ukraine, Russia and worsening crisis in Middle East
Update: Date: 2025-06-23T07:22:47.000Z Title: Spain calls for suspending EU-Israel association agreement Content: Spain's Albares also called for an immediate suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement, saying 'the times of words and declarations is behind' and adding that 'Palestinians in Gaza have no more time to lose.' 'If the association agreement is based on human rights, it's the most normal thing that we suspend immediately today that association agreement and that we move forward. That's why I will ask for the suspension of the association agreement, an embargo of selling weapons to Israel, and enlarging the list of people that are being sanctioned to everyone that wants to be a spoiler of the two-state solution.' The Spanish minister added that Europe 'must show courage in favour of peace, of international law' and defend the values it is meant to stand up for. Update: Date: 2025-06-23T07:22:41.000Z Title: Spain reaches agreement with Nato on 5% defence spending, minister says Content: Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares is among the first to arrive at the foreign affairs council in Brussels. He says that over the weekend, Spain has reached an agreement with Nato on the proposed 5% defence spending commitment to be adopted at this week's summit, after prime minister Pedro Sánchez harshly criticised it as 'unreasonable' and 'unproductive'. By the sound of it, the fix relies on changing the wording to make it sound like Spain agrees with the ambition, but is not bound by it. Albares said Spain remained 'fully committed' on 'unity and the European and Euro-Atlantic security,' with 'a historic number of Spanish soldiers on the eastern flank' of Nato. But, he said, 'we think that the debate must not be around percentage, but capabilities,' and that Spain can meet its obligations spending less, around 2.1%. Update: Date: 2025-06-23T07:20:04.000Z Title: Morning opening: What's Europe position? Content: EU foreign ministers are meeting this morning in Brussels to talk about the bloc's position on Ukraine and Russia and the worsening crisis in the Middle East. The foreign affairs council kicks off what some dubbed a 'super week' in European – and not only – politics, with the Nato summit in The Hague and the European Council summit later this week. And there's plenty to talk about. Today's meeting starts with Ukraine, after another night of heavy Russian attacks with 352 drones and 16 missiles reported by the country's air force, mostly targeting Kyiv. At least six were killed, and over a dozen were injured. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 'preliminary reports indicate that ballistic weapons from North Korea were also used.' 'Everyone in countries neighbouring Russia, Iran, and North Korea should be thinking carefully about whether they could protect lives if this coalition of murderers persists and continues spreading their terror,' he warned. Zelenskyy will be in Britain today for further talks on 'new and powerful steps to increase pressure on Russia for this war and to put an end to the strikes.' The EU ministers will then turn to the Middle East, likely calling for a return to negotiations and the need to avoid further escalation. A big discussion is also expected on potentially triggering a review of the EU-Israel association agreement, but will they want to do this amid escalating and uncertain situation in the region? Elsewhere, I will be checking on the latest in the buildup to the Nato summit, and other updates from Germany, Norway, Sweden and Romania among others. It's Monday, 23 June 2025, it's Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.
