Senior EU diplomat Josep Borrell proposed to EU member states to suspend political dialogue with Israel over its war in the Gaza Strip, an EU diplomatic source told dpa on Wednesday.

Borrell bases his proposal on assessments by independent international agencies that claim Israel has violated human rights and international humanitarian law in Palestinian territory.

The initiative, which was presented at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday, is now to be discussed at a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

The political dialogue with Israel is regulated by the EU-Israel Association Agreement which entered into force in 2000.

The agreement provides for regular exchanges to strengthen the partnership. It also states that relations between the parties are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.