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Israel Slams EU Move to Suspend Trade Agreement

(Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Tuesday wrote to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen ahead of a meeting of the EU College of Commissioners regarding her proposal to put political pressure on Israel by suspending trade-related provisions in the EU-Israel Association Agreement. "This unprecedented proposal, that has never been implemented against any other country, constitutes a clear attempt to harm Israel while we are still fighting a war imposed on us by the October 7 terror attack - the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. This existential war is being fought against Hamas and the terrorist organizations in Gaza, while we are still being attacked also by the Houthis in Yemen." "The war continues because Hamas refuses to release the hostages and insists on maintaining its military power in Gaza. Had Hamas agreed to disarm and release the hostages, the war would have ended long ago. It is profoundly disturbing that you, by advancing such a proposal, are in practice empowering a terrorist organization responsible for and continuing to perpetrate heinous crimes, while Israel, a longstanding partner of the EU, fights an existential war. It also jeopardizes the ongoing efforts to end the war." "Pressure through sanctions will not work. The State of Israel is a proud sovereign nation, and we will not be bent through threats while Israel's security is at stake. As has been clearly stated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, initiatives of this nature embolden Hamas, harden its stance, and undermine progress toward potential agreements." "Eighty years have passed since the Holocaust on European soil occurred, taking the life of 6 million of our people. We have established a homeland for our people in our ancestral land, fighting relentlessly for our lives and security. Europe harming Israel while there is an attempt to annihilate the surviving remnant of the Jewish people and its only state marks the trampling of every moral standard and disregards Europe's historical responsibility."
2025-09-18 00:00:00
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