By Itamar Eichner
Copyright ynetnews
European Union commissioners are expected to discuss on Wednesday new sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza, including proposals to suspend certain provisions in trade agreements and to restrict extremist Israeli cabinet ministers. The discussion follows a statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to commission spokesperson Paula Pinho, the commissioners will present the trade-related proposals to EU heads of state if they are approved. However, the measures would still require approval from the EU Council, which must pass them by a qualified majority. Diplomats say such a majority does not currently exist, with Germany and Italy opposed. The commission will also consider sanctioning far-right Israeli ministers, an idea that failed in the past but has recently gained traction. The Netherlands has already imposed sanctions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, enforcing a Schengen agreement that applies to 29 countries. The announcement coincided with a report from a UN Commission of Inquiry that concluded Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had incited such acts. Israel rejected the findings as “scandalous” and “fake.” “Genocide is occurring in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, a former International Criminal Court judge who heads the inquiry. She said Israeli leaders had orchestrated a campaign with the intent to destroy the Palestinian population in Gaza. The 72-page legal analysis cited large-scale killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of a fertility clinic as evidence, and concluded that Israel committed four of the five acts that constitute genocide under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. These include killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, inflicting destructive conditions of life and imposing measures to prevent births. Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, said the report was written by “Hamas proxies” and accused the commission of operating with a political agenda. Israel has refused to cooperate with the inquiry, which operates independently and does not officially speak for the United Nations. Israel is already defending itself against genocide charges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, while maintaining it is acting in self-defense after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and led to the abduction of 251 hostages. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 64,000 people have been killed in the war, while international monitors warn parts of the territory are experiencing famine. Pillay, who previously presided over a UN tribunal on the 1994 Rwandan genocide, said the situation in Gaza was comparable. “When I look at the facts in the Rwandan genocide, it’s very, very similar to this,” she said. The report also named President Isaac Herzog and former defense minister Yoav Gallant as bearing responsibility. It highlighted statements by Netanyahu and others as evidence of “genocidal intent,” including a November 2023 letter to Israeli soldiers likening the Gaza campaign to a biblical “holy war of total annihilation.” While the International Court of Justice has previously cited Israeli officials’ rhetoric, it has not named Netanyahu. Pillay said she hoped the new findings would push states to act. She is scheduled to retire in November.
