EU Halts Funding to Israel, Considers Sanctions Amid Gaza Concerns

On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen revealed that the EU will pause all financial aid to Israel due to its actions in the Gaza Strip, with potential sanctions under discussion.

“We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold.

“We will stop all payments in these areas without affecting our work with civil society or Yad Vashem,” von der Leyen said in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

She also proposed sanctions on “extremist ministers and violent settlers,” adding that “man-made famine can never be a weapon of war.”

Calling the situation in Gaza “unacceptable,” von der Leyen urged Europe to lead by example: “For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity, this must stop.”

She further proposed a partial suspension of the Association Agreement that has governed EU-Israel political and economic ties since 2000.

dpa/NAN