Israel on Tuesday urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to withdraw a proposal that would curb trade ties in a bid to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza."Pressure through sanctions will not work," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote in a letter to Von der Leyen.The initiative, announced during her State of the Union speech last week, is due to be discussed Wednesday by the European Commission's College of Commissioners, which she chairs.If approved, it would freeze the EU's bilateral support to Israel, halting all payments, while preserving cooperation with civil society groups and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.According to the commission, the move would block future allocations of about six million euros ($7 million) annually and suspend disbursement of roughly 14 million euros for ongoing institutional projects.The EU executive also plans to propose sanctions against "extremist ministers" and "violent settlers"."This unprecedented proposal, which has never been applied to any other country, is a clear attempt to harm Israel while we are still fighting a war imposed on us by the October 7 terror attack," Saar wrote, referring to the Hamas-led assault on Israel that triggered the now two-year war.He added that Israel had not been notified or consulted and warned the measures would "empower Hamas" and "jeopardise efforts to end the war".Diplomats say the measures are unlikely to be adopted given deep divisions among the EU's 27 member states over Israel's conduct in Gaza.Last week, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution endorsing Von der Leyen's proposal to suspend bilateral support and partially suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement.Lawmakers also urged sanctions against Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir.Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, which the United Nations deems reliable.The UN has declared famine in parts of Gaza, a designation Israel disputes.Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits for grammar and punctuation. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Last week, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution endorsing Von der Leyen's proposal to suspend bilateral support and partially suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement.

Israel on Tuesday urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to withdraw a proposal that would curb trade ties in a bid to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza. "Pressure through sanctions will not work," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote in a letter to Von der Leyen. The initiative, announced during her State of the Union speech last week, is due to be discussed Wednesday by the European Commission's College of Commissioners, which she chairs. If approved, it would freeze the EU's bilateral support to Israel, halting all payments, while preserving cooperation with civil society groups and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. According to the commission, the move would block future allocations of about six million euros ($7 million) annually and suspend disbursement of roughly 14 million euros for ongoing institutional projects. The EU executive also plans to propose sanctions against "extremist ministers" and "violent settlers". "This unprecedented proposal, which has never been applied to any other country, is a clear attempt to harm Israel while we are still fighting a war imposed on us by the October 7 terror attack," Saar wrote, referring to the Hamas-led assault on Israel that triggered the now two-year war. He added that Israel had not been notified or consulted and warned the measures would "empower Hamas" and "jeopardise efforts to end the war". Diplomats say the measures are unlikely to be adopted given deep divisions among the EU's 27 member states over Israel's conduct in Gaza. Last week, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution endorsing Von der Leyen's proposal to suspend bilateral support and partially suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement. Lawmakers also urged sanctions against Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, which the United Nations deems reliable. The UN has declared famine in parts of Gaza, a designation Israel disputes. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits for grammar and punctuation. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Last week, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution endorsing Von der Leyen's proposal to suspend bilateral support and partially suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement.

Israel calls on EU chief to drop proposed sanctions over Gaza offensive

Israel on Tuesday (Sep 16) launched its ground assault on Gaza City in a major escalation of its military offensive as part of its plan to take over the territory. The move has drawn condemnation from global bodies and powers, including the European Union, United Nations, the United Kingdom, and Germany, who warn of “more destruction, death, and displacement in Gaza. The development comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Israel, backing its goal of eradicating Hamas in Gaza.In a statement on Tuesday, EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni warned that Israel’s latest ground assault would worsen an already “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the territory.“The EU has consistently urged Israel not to intensify its operation in Gaza City,” he said. “A military intervention will lead to more destruction, more death and more displacement, and we have been clear that this will also aggravate the already catastrophic humanitarian situation and also endangers the lives of hostages.”<h2>‘Will only bring more bloodshed’</h2>Condemning Israel’s ground assault on Gaza City, British foreign minister Yvette Cooper called the operation “utterly reckless and appalling”, demanding an immediate ceasefire. “It will only bring more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians and endanger the remaining hostages,” she said in a post on X.Germany called Israel’s recent military actions in Gaza City “completely wrong” and urged a diplomatic resolution towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal.“The renewed offensive towards Gaza City is... the completely wrong path,” said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. “We reject this and have made this clear to the Israeli government.”<h2>Israel accused of committing ‘genocide’</h2>Earlier on Tuesday, UN investigators accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, alleging that the country’s military campaign aims to eliminate the Palestinian population. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials for incitement and failure to prevent escalating violence.United Nations official Volker Turk told AFP and Reuters, “We see the piling up of war crime after war crime after war crime, of crime against humanity, and potentially even more.” He added, “It’s for the court to decide whether it’s genocide or not, and we see the evidence mounting.”

In a statement on Tuesday, EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni warned that Israel’s latest ground assault would worsen an already “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the territory.

Israel on Tuesday (Sep 16) launched its ground assault on Gaza City in a major escalation of its military offensive as part of its plan to take over the territory. The move has drawn condemnation from global bodies and powers, including the European Union, United Nations, the United Kingdom, and Germany, who warn of “more destruction, death, and displacement in Gaza. The development comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Israel, backing its goal of eradicating Hamas in Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni warned that Israel’s latest ground assault would worsen an already “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the territory. “The EU has consistently urged Israel not to intensify its operation in Gaza City,” he said. “A military intervention will lead to more destruction, more death and more displacement, and we have been clear that this will also aggravate the already catastrophic humanitarian situation and also endangers the lives of hostages.” ‘Will only bring more bloodshed’ Condemning Israel’s ground assault on Gaza City, British foreign minister Yvette Cooper called the operation “utterly reckless and appalling”, demanding an immediate ceasefire. “It will only bring more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians and endanger the remaining hostages,” she said in a post on X. Germany called Israel’s recent military actions in Gaza City “completely wrong” and urged a diplomatic resolution towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal. “The renewed offensive towards Gaza City is... the completely wrong path,” said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. “We reject this and have made this clear to the Israeli government.” Israel accused of committing ‘genocide’ Earlier on Tuesday, UN investigators accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, alleging that the country’s military campaign aims to eliminate the Palestinian population. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials for incitement and failure to prevent escalating violence. United Nations official Volker Turk told AFP and Reuters, “We see the piling up of war crime after war crime after war crime, of crime against humanity, and potentially even more.” He added, “It’s for the court to decide whether it’s genocide or not, and we see the evidence mounting.”

In a statement on Tuesday, EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni warned that Israel’s latest ground assault would worsen an already “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the territory.

‘Crime against humanity’: Israel’s latest ground assault to take over Gaza faces global criticism

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Israel calls on EU chief to drop proposed sanctions over Gaza offensive

‘Crime against humanity’: Israel’s ground assault in Gaza faces global criticism