More than 500 European former diplomats asked the EU for sanctions against Israel
More than 500 former European ministers and diplomats, including four former prime ministers, called on the EU to impose immediate sanctions against Israel's settlement policies. Warning that the E1 project will end the two-state solution, the signatories demanded a ban on trade with illegal settlements and that binding steps be taken at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on October 12.
More than 500 former European ministers, ambassadors and senior officials, including four former prime ministers, have called on the European Union (EU) to take urgent measures against the expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory.
The signatories warned that it is only a matter of time before the Israeli government announces construction tenders for the first phase of the E1 settlement project, which will divide the West Bank into two and eliminate the possibility of a two-state solution.
Sanction and trade ban request to financial institutions
Senior diplomats and politicians who appealed to the European Commission demanded that sanctions be offered without delay against all financial institutions and service providers that support illegal settlements, especially E1.
In the text of the initiative, there was a call for the submission of legal regulation proposals that will prevent trade between the EU and these settlements. The signatories also demanded the advancement of long-standing drafts that provide for the suspension of the commercial provisions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. In the initiative, it was emphasized that the decisions should be taken at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on October 12.
“It's time for the EU and member countries to take action”
It was pointed out that the EU bodies and the governments of the member country must act in accordance with their explicit obligations under the EU Founding Treaties and international law.
In the statement, it was noted that the intra-EU divisions caused by the attitudes of Germany, Italy and other countries that prevent the adoption of common measures should be overcome.
The urgent call to action was made by pointing to the loss of civilian lives and severe humanitarian conditions in Gaza, accompanied by insufficient aid shipments and re-zoning activities that have come to a standstill, and in the West Bank, escalating sedervant violence, land extortion and incessant exile of Palestinians.
The statement ended with the statement "It is definitely time for the EU and member states to take action".