The EC proposed suspending the EU's trade agreements with Israel

The European Commission (EC) has proposed suspending trade agreements between the European Union (EU) and Israel. This was announced on September 17 by European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic at a briefing in Brussels.

"The proposed suspension concerns the duty preferences granted to Israel, covering the free movement of goods, the right to create and provide services, public procurement, competition, and intellectual property. In practice, this means that imports from Israel to the EU will lose preferential access to the EU market and that these goods will be subject to duties at the level applicable to any other third countries with which the EU does not have a free trade agreement," Sefcovic said.

The EC regrets the need to take this step, but nevertheless considers it appropriate and proportionate, given the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the European Commissioner added. He stressed that now the EU Council must adopt this decision by a qualified majority vote.

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Earlier in the day, the newspaper Les Echos reported that a number of European Union (EU) member states, including France, are ready to support restrictions on Israel amid the military operation in the Gaza Strip.

On September 10, EC President Ursula von der Leyen announced her readiness to terminate the association agreement with Israel with the EU. She also noted that the EC is proposing to impose sanctions on a number of Israeli ministers.

On September 9, a Hamas negotiating delegation was attacked by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) when it arrived in the Qatari capital of Doha to discuss a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. On the same day, White House press Secretary Caroline Leavitt announced attempts by US President Donald Trump to warn Qatar about the impending strikes, which were undertaken too late. The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Anthony Guterres, condemned the Israeli strikes on Qatar, calling them a blatant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this state.

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