"The ball is in the court of the member states," she said
CORK, Ireland – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday defended Brussels’ response to the war in Gaza, suggesting it is EU capitals – not the EU executive – that are holding up further action.
Speaking in Cork, alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the start of Ireland’s six-month presidency of the Council, von der Leyen faced questions over why the Commission had not acted on calls for measures to prevent trade with illegal Israeli settlements, amid mounting criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.
“The ball is in the court of the member states,” she said, speaking from one of the bloc’s most outspoken capitals on the war in Gaza.
She noted that the Commission proposed suspending trade preferences under the EU-Israel Association Agreement ten months ago, but failed to get the approval of national governments in the Council.
