EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives her annual State of the Union address during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Wednesday. AFP
Addressing the European Parliament, von der Leyen lamented that divisions among member states were holding back a European response and said the European Commission she leads “will do all that it can on its own”.
“What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic,” von der Leyen said.
“For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity — this must stop.”
The German politician, 66, said the commission would put its bilateral support to Israel on hold, stopping all payments, but without affecting work with civil society groups and Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
The measure is to affect future allocations amounting to about six million euros ($7 million) a year and the disbursement of about 14 million euros for ongoing institutional cooperation projects, the commission said.
The European Union’s executive will propose sanctions on “extremist ministers” — whose actions and words “incite violence” — and “violent settlers”.
And it will push for a partial suspension of an association agreement with Israel on trade-related matters.
But such measures will need approval by the bloc’s 27 member states, which have been deeply divided on how to respond to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“I am aware it will be difficult to find majorities,” von der Leyen conceded.
“And I know that any action will be too much for some. Too little for others. But we must all take our own responsibilities”.
The United Nations declared famine last month in parts of Gaza, warning that 500,000 people face “catastrophic” conditions.
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