EU antisemitism chief lobbies against Israel sanctions as bloc reconsiders trade ties

A senior European Union official has been lobbying against imposing sanctions on Israel as member states mull suspending trade ties in response to the relentless onslaught in Gaza.

Katharina von Schnurbein – the EU's coordinator on combating antisemitism – told EU ambassadors in May that the bloc's review on its relationship with Israel is based on "rumours about Jews" and sought to cast doubt on UN findings about Israel's conduct in the Palestinian territory, according to a leaked diplomatic cable obtained by EU Observer.

Von Schnurbein – a German civil servant – also accused EU staff members of contributing to "ambient antisemitism" by organising bake sales for Gaza and repeated the unevidenced theory that anti-war protests across Europe have been orchestrated by Hamas.

The comments come from a readout of a meeting of EU diplomats in Tel Aviv on 29 May, which took place as officials weighed possible trade sanctions on Israel in response to its violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

A majority of EU countries in May voted in favour of investigating whether Israel had breached Article 2 of the association agreement, which obliges it to respect human rights and democratic principles.

EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas was tasked with drawing up a list of potential actions to take in response to the review's findings.

The review found "indications" that Israel had violated the agreement, citing evidence of indiscriminate attacks against Palestinians, the total blockade on Gaza, the forcible displacement of civilians, and the systematic destruction of the territory's healthcare system.

Israeli forces have killed at least 57,882 Palestinians in Gaza and decimated most of the territory's infrastructure since 7 October 2023. Israel's blockade has imposed an acute hunger crisis among Gaza's 2.2 million inhabitants, while the military has repeatedly displaced the population into ever smaller corners of the enclave.

Israel's defence minister last week announced plans to force the entire population into a concentration camp on the ruins of Rafah.

EU foreign ministers will meet next week to discuss how to respond to the review.

Suspending the agreement in full would require unanimity among the bloc's 27 member states, an event seen as highly unlikely due to opposition from Israel's close allies such as Hungary and Germany.

However, the review found that the agreement's trade provisions could be shelved if a qualified majority vote in favour. This would require 15 countries representing at least 65% of the EU's population to back the measure.

Any move to impose trade sanctions would likely be highly damaging to the Israeli economy.

The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting for a third of its trade in 2024. The association agreement removes trade barriers for some of Israel's most important industries and is believed to be worth at least €1 billion a year.

Other measures put forward by Kallas reportedly include imposing sanctions on individuals in the Israeli government and settler extremists, banning arms sales, and limiting EU-Israel scientific cooperation.

Dozens of former EU ambassadors this week called for the full suspension of the association agreement and warned that failure to act would "further tarnish the EU’s already damaged reputation" caused by double standards towards Israel.