She stressed that what is happening in Gaza has “shaken the conscience of the world” and that in addition to suspending payments, the EC will propose sanctions on “extremist ministers and violent settlers” and “propose a partial suspension of the Association Agreement on trade-related matters.”
The EC had previously also proposed suspending Israel’s access to EU Horizon research funding for start-up companies, although von der Leyen noted that the move is not yet possible because it needs support from a weighted majority of the bloc’s 27 member states. The initiative is currently opposed by Germany, Italy, Hungary, and several other states.
Von Der Leyen insisted that the EU “cannot afford to be paralyzed” in the face of “catastrophic” images coming out of Gaza of people being “killed while begging for food” and “mothers holding lifeless babies.”
Over 64,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its campaign two years ago, following Hamas’ 2023 attack that left 1,200 dead and about 250 taken hostage.
Von der Leyen’s announcement comes after Israel also drew international criticism on Tuesday for carrying out an attack on a Hamas-controlled compound in the Qatari capital of Doha.