Amnesty International has accused the European Union of a 'cruel and unlawful betrayal' of Palestinians after EU ministers declined to endorse any sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza. The human rights group's stinging rebuke was echoed by other organisations following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday.
The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc would keep 'options on the table' to pressure Israel if there was no improvement in the 'catastrophic' humanitarian situation in Gaza. However, she did not endorse any of the ten sanctions options drawn up by her team, which include suspending the EU-Israel association agreement. That move requires unanimous support from member states, with Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic opposing sanctions.
Kallas had recently announced a potentially significant agreement with Israel to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, where 2.1 million people face famine and drought. EU sources say aid flows have risen to about 80 trucks a day, but distribution remains problematic. The UN reports that about 850 Palestinians have been killed while waiting to receive aid since May.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general, said the refusal to suspend the agreement 'is a cruel and unlawful betrayal of the European project and vision'. Claudio Francavilla of Human Rights Watch said EU ministers had 'failed' and traded accountability for 'the illusory promise of a few more trucks'.
Kallas said the EU would monitor the implementation of the aid agreement closely, with fortnightly updates. 'The aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to improve the humanitarian situation,' she told reporters.
