Europe Because of Gaza: EU Commission proposes sanctions against Israel
The EU Commission has proposed sanctions against Israel due to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. As the authority headed by President Ursula von der Leyen announced this evening, it is recommending that member states partially suspend Israel's participation in the Horizon Europe research funding program.
28.07.2025, 21:09
SDA
"While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in the fighting in Gaza and has fulfilled some of its obligations under the joint agreement on humanitarian aid and access, the situation remains serious," it said in justification.
Reference is also made to an analysis by EU auditors, which came to the conclusion that Israel is violating the principle of respect for human rights with its actions in the Gaza Strip. This was laid down in an association agreement between the two sides in force since 2000 as a prerequisite for close cooperation.
Specifically, Israel is accused above all of hardly allowing any deliveries of aid supplies for the approximately two million Palestinians in the sealed-off Gaza Strip in recent months.
Majority decision sufficient for sanctions
According to the EU Commission, a unanimous decision by the member states is not required to implement the sanctions proposal that has now been presented. It is therefore sufficient if 15 of the 27 EU states, which together represent at least 65 percent of the population of the participating member states, agree.
In Brussels, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU is expected to discuss the proposal this Tuesday and deliberate on how to proceed.
Immediate criticism from Israel
In an initial reaction, the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the sanctions recommendation as "flawed, regrettable and unjustified." At a time when Israel is fighting against the jihadist terrorism of Hamas, such a decision would only serve to strengthen Hamas, it criticized. Israel would work to ensure that the recommendation was not adopted by the EU Council of Ministers.
Germany takes a critical view of sanctions demands
Countries such as Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic, among others, have recently repeatedly expressed criticism of calls for sanctions against Israel.
According to the EU Commission, if the proposal is accepted, the participation of Israeli institutions in activities financed by the European Innovation Council (EIC) would be suspended. For example, start-ups and small companies working in the fields of cyber security, drones and artificial intelligence would be affected. The participation of Israeli universities and researchers in cooperation projects and research activities within the framework of Horizon would remain unaffected by the proposed measure, it said.
