LONDON: Former European officials have criticized the EU for pausing sanctions against the Israeli government, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.
The pause came in response to US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts in the Middle East.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, after meeting the bloc’s foreign ministers on Monday, announced a pause on efforts to suspend preferential trade with Israel. Sanctions against figures responsible for driving the Gaza war were also paused.
Kallas said since last month, when the measures were proposed, the context has changed. Though “divergent views” were offered at the ministerial meeting, officials agreed that “we don’t move with the measures now, but we don’t take them off the table either because the situation is fragile,” she added.
Associate EU director at Human Rights Watch, Claudio Francavilla, said European governments are still protecting Israeli authorities from accountability.
