German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has rejected proposals for far-reaching EU sanctions against Israel.
Measures such as the withdrawal of free trade benefits are “inappropriate,” Wadephul said on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
However, this does not mean that critical issues should not be discussed with Israel, he said, citing the recent introduction of the death penalty and acts of violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank as examples.
“I expect the Israeli government as a whole to counter this settler violence more clearly, more firmly and with all means available under the rule of law,” he said.
There must also be no annexation in the West Bank, Wadephul argued.
Germany is one of Israel’s closest allies within the European Union.
However, other EU member states such as Spain have been far more critical of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares urged the EU to take tougher action against Israel, calling for the withdrawal of free trade benefits – a measure already discussed last year – to be put back on the table.
The EU will lose credibility if it is unable to tell Israel that a change of course is needed, he said, condemning violations of the ceasefire in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
He described Israel’s actions in Lebanon as a “war of invasion in violation of international law, involving indiscriminate bombing.”
As a possible compromise in the internal dispute over potential sanctions against Israel, France and Sweden recently proposed restricting the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.
To this end, measures such as tariffs and import controls would be examined.
It was initially unclear whether the initiative had any chance of success.
Trade measures in the EU require a so-called qualified majority of member states. This means that 15 of the 27 EU countries would have to agree, representing at least 65% of the bloc’s total population.