European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday but did not support cutting off the bloc’s diplomatic dialogue with Israel, as proposed by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Ahead of the meeting, Borrell said such a move would be aimed at putting pressure on the Israeli government after it ignored several calls to adhere to international law in the war in the Gaza Strip.

After frequently criticizing Israel in unusually strong terms by the standards of European leaders over the past year, the Spanish politician told reporters ahead of the meeting that he was “at a loss for words” for the situation in Gaza.

“There are about 44,000 people killed in Gaza, the whole area is destroyed and 70 percent of the people killed are women or children,” he said.

The proposal, seen as a chance to break Borrell before he leaves office, was widely seen as unlikely to be accepted by ministers and would have required a unanimous decision from all 27 member states.

Resistance to the proposal

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp was among those who disagreed with the proposal, saying the EU must remain in dialogue with Israel amid wider tensions in the Middle East.

Germany also declared its opposition in advance, while Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic looked certain to resist the move.

The EU’s political dialogue with Israel is covered by the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides for regular exchanges to strengthen the partnership.

However, it also states that relations between the parties are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which Borrell said may not have been respected by Israel.

Spain and Ireland have also suggested that the deal with Israel be revised.

But the EU diplomats also emphasized that the suspension of the institutional political dialogue does not mean the suspension of the agreement or the Association Council, which deals with the relations between the two parties.

The proposal to ban the import

Borrell also wanted to introduce a ban on the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The settlements are illegal under international law.

Ministers approved new sanctions against Iran for supplying Russia with ballistic missiles to use in the war in Ukraine during their meeting on Monday.

Borrell also said before the meeting that he hoped EU members would agree to allow Kiev to strike inside Russia with weapons the bloc has provided.

“I have said time and time again that Ukraine should be able to use the weapons that we have provided, not only to stop the arrows, but also to be able to hit the archers,” Borrell said.

His comments come amid reports that US President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles to strike deeper into Russia in possible response to Moscow’s deployment of thousands of North Korean troops in its war against his neighbor.

tj/lo (Reuters, dpa)