European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Wednesday that the European Union has suspended all payments to Israel in response to its ongoing war on Gaza and the grave violations committed against Palestinians.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen said: “We will suspend our bilateral support to Israel. We will stop all payments in these areas without affecting our work with civil society or with Yad Vashem.”
She added that the Commission will soon propose sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and a partial suspension of the EU–Israel Association Agreement, targeting trade-related areas.
The EU executive also plans to establish a donor group for the Palestinians next month, including a new mechanism to channel aid and support the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Von der Leyen condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza in stark terms: “What is happening in Gaza has shocked the conscience of the world. People are being killed while begging for food. Mothers are holding dead children. These images are catastrophic. For the sake of children, for the sake of humanity, this must stop—and Europe must lead the way, as it has done before.”
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