During an informal meeting in Copenhagen, EU foreign ministers debated whether and how to sanction Israel for actions during the Gaza conflict. A majority of observers no longer dispute that the Israeli military campaign launched after Hamas's October 2023 attack has resulted in violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Kaja Kallas said there is a growing majority in favor of sanctions, but diplomats failed to reach consensus and some expressed private frustration over blocked measures. Countries such as Spain, Ireland and Sweden favor sanctions, while Italy, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Germany remain reluctant. Proposed measures include suspending the EU-Israel association agreement, excluding Israeli firms from Horizon research funding, or directly sanctioning settlers, with some options requiring a qualified majority vote.
There is a "growing majority" of countries that support sanctions against Israel, the EU's foreign affairs boss, Kaja Kallas, said recently. But Europe's top diplomats were unable to reach any kind of consensus. And some privately expressed frustration with EU nations blocking sanctions on Israel. One of these is Germany. In Copenhagen: Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and others would like some sort of sanctions while Italy, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Germany are reluctant
Various measures have been discussed, including a suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement, a trade pact, or preventing Israeli companies from participating in the EU's Horizon research fund or directly sanctioning Israeli settlers. Some of these would require a qualified majority to pass that is, support from 55% of EU member states, that represent at least 65% of the EU's population.
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