Irish foreign minister urges EU to impose sanctions on Israel over Gaza war

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris has called on the European Union to take concrete measures against Israel, arguing that verbal condemnations over the ongoing war in Gaza are no longer sufficient.

Speaking ahead of a joint meeting of EU defence and foreign ministers, Harris emphasised the need for the bloc to move beyond statements and toward decisive action, Caliber.Az reports per Yeni Safak. 

“The time for words of condemnation must end. Words of condemnation are important, but they’re clearly not enough,” Harris said.

Ireland has long advocated for a reassessment of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which governs political and economic relations between the two sides. According to Harris, a recent review of the agreement concluded that Israel is “absolutely in breach of its human rights obligations.”

“We, in Ireland, have been arguing for a very long time that there needed to be a review of the association agreement between the EU and Israel. That finally happened, that found very clearly that Israel is absolutely in breach of its human rights obligations,” he said.

Despite some EU member states requesting more time, Harris stressed that Israel has failed to make meaningful changes to its conduct.

“The world is now looking to Europe to see, from a credibility point of view, are we now willing to act? There are 10 different areas that Europe has identified where sanctions or measures could be taken against Israel," he noted.

The minister urged the EU to align its actions with its stated values and to utilize the provisions in the EU-Israel agreement to demand compliance with international human rights standards.

“It is absolutely imperative now that Europe matches its words of condemnation with concrete actions against Israel to help bring about a ceasefire, see a surge in humanitarian aid, and, of course, see the release of all the hostages,” he said.

“Europe must stand up for its values,” Harris added.

Since October 2023, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 63,000 Palestinians, according to local authorities, and pushed the enclave to the brink of famine. The offensive has drawn international scrutiny, including legal action at global institutions.

By Sabina Mammadli