Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday accused Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, of “empowering” Hamas over her plan to propose suspending trade benefits in E.U.-Israel transactions.
In a letter addressed to von der Leyen ahead of Wednesday’s College of Commissioners meeting, Sa’ar accused the Commission of acting at “blitz speed,” without notice or consultation, in violation of the E.U.-Israel Association Agreement.
The move was an “unprecedented” and “clear attempt to harm Israel while we are still fighting a war imposed on us by the October 7 terror attack,” Sa’ar wrote.
“It is profoundly disturbing that you, by advancing such a proposal, are in practice empowering a terrorist organization responsible for heinous crimes, while Israel, a longstanding partner of the EU, fights an existential war,” the letter continued.
Sa’ar’s letter followed an announcement on Tuesday by the European Commission that it intended to propose suspending some of Israel’s trade privileges, as well as halting certain payments for international cooperation projects, citing alleged human rights violations in Gaza.
Whether the measures can gain the required support of all 27 member states remains unclear; Germany has already signaled opposition, and a previous push to suspend research funding failed to secure consensus, the DPA news agency reported.
Pressure through sanctions “will not work,” Sa’ar wrote, adding that Israel “will not be bent through threats while Israel’s security is at stake.” The minister also argued that the proposal was “replete with false accusations and legal flaws,” citing reliance on “Hamas-controlled sources” and claiming the Commission had bypassed due process requirements.
In announcing the proposal to introduce sanctions, the spokesman for E.U. foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that “The EU has consistently urged Israel not to intensify its operation in Gaza City,” warning that a full ground offensive would cause “more destruction, more death, and more displacement” while worsening the humanitarian situation and endangering hostages.
Sa’ar countered that Israel has made “extensive and unprecedented efforts” to facilitate humanitarian aid and that any suspension of the agreement would be “wholly inappropriate and disproportionate.”
He mentioned the Holocaust, noting that eighty years had passed since World War II. For Europe to harm 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,” he said.
After the European Commission published its full proposal on Wednesday afternoon, Sa’ar slammed the plan as “morally and politically distorted.”
“It is hoped that they will not be adopted as they have not been until now,” he stated. “Moves against Israel will harm Europe’s own interests. Israel will continue to fight, with the help of its friends in Europe, against attempts to harm it while it is in the midst of an existential war.”
Jerusalem’s top diplomat added that “steps against Israel will be met accordingly, and we hope they will not be required.”
