Latest news with #ForeignMinisters
Irish Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
EU's failure to propose ways to cut trade with illegal Israeli settlements criticised by nine foreign ministers
The European Commission's failure to bring forward proposals to 'discontinue' trade between the EU and illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territories has been criticised by Spain, Ireland and seven other member states. The nine foreign ministers, in a joint letter seen by The Irish Times, take aim at the slow progress in cutting off indirect economic support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank and other Palestinian territory. They say firmer action is needed from the EU in response to findings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year, that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem was unlawful . In their June 16th letter, the ministers say the ICJ opinion put greater obligations on governments to make sure they were not entrenching the illegal settlements through trade links or other ties. READ MORE They criticised the commission, the EU's executive arm, which sets trade policy, for not doing enough in response to the court's decision. 'We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements,' the letter states. The nine ministers call for the commission to carry out an 'in-depth analysis' into the implications the ICJ opinion had for other governments' relations with Israel. The letter was signed by the foreign ministers of Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. It was sent to commission president Ursula von der Leyen , EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. 'We are committed to respect, and where relevant, implementing the conclusions put forward by the [ICJ] in its advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,' the letter says. [ EU should consider ending visa-free travel for Israeli settlers, academics say Opens in new window ] Several governments are to push for Israel to be penalised for its conduct during its 20-month invasion of the Gaza Strip , when the 27 EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday. A review into whether Israel's war in Gaza has breached human rights commitments it made in a free-trade agreement with the EU will be presented to ministers at the meeting. Some ministers are expected to call for action to be taken against Israel, to pressure the Israeli government to stop choking off the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where aid agencies continue to warn the civilian population still lacks food, fuel and medicine. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which began after the deadly Hamas attacks of October 7th, 2023. While a growing number of EU states have been advocating for the EU to take a stronger stance against Israel, others, such as Hungary, Germany and Czechia, have pushed back in support of Israel.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nine EU countries call for talks on ending trade with Israeli settlements
By Lili Bayer BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Nine European Union countries have called on the European Commission to come up with proposals on how to discontinue EU trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The letter, addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, was signed by foreign ministers from Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting about a third of its total goods trade. Two-way goods trade between the bloc and Israel stood at 42.6 billion euros ($48.91 billion) last year, though it was unclear how much of that trade involved settlements. The ministers pointed to a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal. It said states should take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that help maintain the situation. "We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements," the ministers wrote. "We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court," they added. Israel's diplomatic mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Europe must ensure trade policy is in line with international law. "Trade cannot be disconnected from our legal and moral responsibilities," the minister said in a statement to Reuters. "This is about ensuring that EU policies do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of an illegal situation," he said. The ministers' letter comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels on June 23 where EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the bloc's relationship with Israel. Ministers are expected to receive an assessment on whether Israel is complying with a human rights clause in a pact governing its political and economic ties with Europe, after the bloc decided to review Israel's adherence to the agreement due to the situation in Gaza. ($1 = 0.8710 euros)
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Saudi FM receives German counterpart in Riyadh
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received his German counterpart Johann Wadephul in Riyadh on Saturday. During the meeting, the officials reviewed relations between their countries and ways to strengthen and develop them in various fields. They also discussed regional and international developments and their implications on the security and stability of the region.
Asharq Al-Awsat
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi FM Expresses to Iranian Counterpart Condemnation of Israeli Attack
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held on Friday a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. During the call, Prince Faisal 'expressed the Kingdom's condemnation of the blatant Israeli aggression against' Iran, a Saudi Foreign Ministry statement said. He 'affirmed the Kingdom's rejection of the use of force and stressed the importance of dialogue to address disputes,' it said. Prince Faisal 'also emphasized that the Israeli attack undermines efforts aimed at de-escalation and reaching diplomatic solutions,' the statement added.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Arab officials put off rare West Bank trip over Israeli 'obstruction'
Top Arab diplomats, who had planned to make a rare visit to the West Bank, have decided to postpone the trip due to "Israel's obstruction", Jordan said on Saturday. An Arab delegation led by the Saudi foreign minister had originally planned to travel from Jordan to the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in what would have been the first such high-level visit since Israel occupied the Palestinian territory in 1967. "The committee decided to postpone the visit to Ramallah in light of Israel's obstruction of its mission by refusing the delegation entry through airspace in the occupied West Bank controlled by Israel," the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said. The ministers slammed the reported Israeli decision, calling it a "flagrant violation of Israel's obligations as the occupying power," the ministry added in a statement posted on the social media platform X. There was no official Israeli comment on the visit. The delegation includes the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and other countries, the Saudi state television Al Ekhbariya reported earlier this week. The broadcaster quoted the Palestinian ambassador to Riyadh as saying the team planned during the Ramallah visit to discuss drumming up international support for Palestinian statehood ahead of a conference on a two-state solution to the Palestinian problem, including the creation of a Palestinian state alongside with Israel. Saudi Arabia and France are due to co-chair the conference in New York on June 17-20. The Israeli media outlet ynet quoted an Israeli official as saying that "such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the land of Israel."
