Iran Press/Europe: The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, announced he is proposing the measures because of the many violations of international law committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
According to Aljazeera, the EU has imposed many sanctions – from visa bans and “terrorist” designations to import restrictions and sanctions – in other cases of violations of international law, but “until now Israel has been spared from any meaningful consequences”.
“This has to change. This is why I have proposed an import ban on illegal settlement products, based on the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, similar to the existing import ban on products from occupied Ukrainian territories – because even-handedness is the lynchpin of Europe’s credibility.”
Borrell said he would also propose to suspend political dialogue with Israel to EU member states.
A suspension would need approval from all 27 EU countries, which the diplomats said was very unlikely. Multiple countries objected when a senior EU official briefed ambassadors in Brussels on the proposal on Wednesday, said three of the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Borrell's proposal is intended to send a strong signal of concern about Israel's conduct in the war, one diplomat said.
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