The Dutch and Swedish foreign ministers said they now “support the suspension of the trade chapter of the EU-Israel Association agreement.

Sweden and the Netherlands jointly called on the European Union on Thursday to suspend trade with Israel over the “extremely disturbing and intolerable” humanitarian situation in Gaza and Israel’s plans for a new settlement in the occupied West Bank.

In a joint letter to the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, seen by Irish broadcaster RTE News, the two countries also accused Israel of failing to implement a July agreement with the EU on increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Sweden and the Netherlands have jointly called for the EU to suspend trade with Israel in response to what they call the “extremely disturbing and intolerable” humanitarian situation in Gazahttps://t.co/14YT6MUaQp

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 28, 2025

The July agreement, reached between Kallas and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, had previously forestalled a range of possible sanctions against Tel Aviv, including the suspension of the trade element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

ICJ Advisory Opinion

In their letter, the Dutch and Swedish foreign ministers said they now “support the suspension of the trade chapter of the EU-Israel Association agreement and call upon the (European) Commission to put forward a proposal to this end.”

The ministers also called for targeted sanctions against “extremist Israeli ministers who promote illegal settlement activities, and actively work against a negotiated two-state solution.”

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They further urged Kallas to provide a written analysis of the EU’s compliance with the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, the report added.

The letter also reportedly called on Hamas to relinquish power and release the remaining Israeli captives.

Illegal West Bank Settlements

Both ministers, according to the report, described the Israeli Higher Planning Council’s approval of the E1 Construction Plan — which would extend a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and severely disrupt the contiguity of any future Palestinian state — as “unacceptable and a clear violation of international law.”

Israel Approves Major Settlement Project Splitting West Bank, Isolating Jerusalem

According to the RTE report, EU foreign ministers – including Tánaiste Simon Harris – will hold an informal meeting in Copenhagen on Friday under the Danish presidency of the EU.

Harris reportedly said the EU’s credibility is on the line if it does not take action against Israel over its “genocidal activity” in Gaza, adding that “Words of condemnation are not enough.”

He stated, “We cannot ignore the fact that there are now children in so much pain and famine and hunger in Gaza that they can’t even cry any longer.”

Borrell’s Condemnation

Earlier this month, former EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said there can be “little doubt” that the Israeli government “is committing genocide in Gaza” and that those who do not act to stop it “are complicit,” including the EU.

He wrote in The Guardian that the association agreement between the EU and Israel, established in 2000 after the Oslo accords, “is the most favourable of all those concluded by the bloc with third countries.”

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In addition to zero customs duties on its exports of goods and services and visa-free travel for its citizens, “the agreement gives Israel access to several major European funding and exchange programmes such as Horizon and Erasmus.”

He underlined that Article 2 of the agreement “makes it conditional on Israel’s respect for international law and fundamental human rights,” meaning that EU leaders have a legal obligation to suspend the deal.

Staggering Death Toll

Since reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, Israel has continued its bloody aerial bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding thousands of Palestinians.

Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 62,900 Palestinians, with more than 159,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.

Gaza Death Toll Nears 63,000 amid Israeli Airstrikes and Famine

In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.

Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

(Anadolu, PC)