EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to hold a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council to assess Israel’s compliance with the association agreement’s human rights obligations.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced the move in Brussels as he stepped up pressure on Israel to comply with a ruling from the International Court of Justice to halt an offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Contrary to obeying the ICJ ruling, Israel has carried out “an increase on the military activities, an increase in the bombing and increase on the casualties to the civilian people,” Borrell said.
The EU foreign policy chief said EU foreign ministers asked him “to propose further concrete measures” to ensure Israel’s compliance with the ICJ ruling.
The European Union has continuously condemned the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel that killed over 1,200 people and 250 people taken hostage but criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza has been growing.
An Israeli airstrike that hit tents housing displaced people near Rafah, reportedly killing 45 people, sparked outrage on Monday. Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin condemned the attack as “barbaric.”
“Horrified by news coming out of #Rafah on Israeli strikes killing dozens of displaced persons, including small children. I condemn this in the strongest terms,” Borrell said on X, formerly Twitter.
EU foreign ministers also held informal talks with their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, plus the secretary-general of the League of Arab States.
After the meeting, Borrell said that foreign ministers from the Arab states proposed holding an international conference to implement a two-state solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Borrell said the bloc’s counterparts from the Middle East and the Gulf were challenging to EU member states to show their practical commitment to ending the fighting.
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