‘’Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground (in Gaza) and help the humanitarian aid get in and help the people. So today was the beginning of the debate and not the end,’’ EU’s foreign policy chieg Kaja Kallas told reporters after a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers.  who discussed a report reviewing Israel’s obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. 

European Union Foreign Ministers have decided to postpone until July any decision on eventual measures against Israel following the presentation by EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas Kallas of a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement which statesd that there were “indications” that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the agreement’’ wit hits actions in Gaza.

Kallas said after a meeting of the 27 EU Foreign Ministers on Monday in Brussels, where they discussed the review report, that she will ‘’address the results’’ with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

‘’Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground (in Gaza) and help the humanitarian aid get in and help the people. So today was the beginning of the debate and not the end,’’ Kallas told reporters after the ministeria meeting.

She stressed that that the EU priorities ‘’are clear: return to full ceasefire, full humanitarian access, and the release of all hostages.’’

‘’If the situation does not improve, then we can also discuss further measures and come back to this at the next Foreign Affairs Council in July,’’ Kallas said.

‘’I will not be the only one who does the outreach (to Israel). Oher ministers will do it as well and express the same things that we have said today: that we have a structured dialogue about this, with Israel,’’ she added.

On Monday,  Spain and Ireland, the two most anti-Israel EU countries, called for a suspension of the EU-Isael Association Agreement while others like Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden, stressed the need for action.

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, also called for an arms embargo to Israel.
French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, told reporters that Israel had “clearly violated” article two of the EU-Israel agreement. ‘’Ministers would draw the consequences at their meeting in July,’’ he added.

But such a suspension requires unanimity among the 27 member states and Germany, Italy, Czech Republic,  Greece, Austria and Hungary are opposed to such a measure against Israel.

Israel calls the EU review report ‘outrageous and indecent’ 

Israel has strongly reacted to the EU review report, describing it as “outrageous and indecent”. In a document sent to the EU’s External Service, the Israeli foreign ministryn said the review was “a biased and extremely one-sided summary of many anti-Israeli voices”. It calles the report ‘’absurd’’. ‘’It reflects an unprecedented process directed at a democratic state in the midst of war.’’

The EU report is largely based on findings from UN bodies, which are usually very anti-Israel.

The ministry recalled the ‘’strategic reality Israel is facing: since October 7th, Israel has been fighting a war on seven fronts. Iran, with its extremist ideology, is aiming to eliminate the State of Israel. Iran’s regime has long pursued the annihilation of the Jewish state through a nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and a network of terrorist proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.’’

According to the ministry, the report ‘’fails twice.’’ ‘’It fails morally, neglecting to address any damage inflicted on Israeli civilians, who since before and after the October 7 attacks, have always been the only target of endless Palestinian terror attacks.’’

‘’ It fails to mention Hamas’ stealing of humanitarian aid and most astonishingly – in a report focused only on Palestinians, it fails to mention any crimes by Hamas against its own citizens, despite continuous and abundant proof, including videos, of regular public executions of its opponents.’’

The report, the ministry adds, ‘’aims to deny Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism. It does not cite any of the many positive actions undertaken by Israel in the humanitarian field and neglects to mention the continuous refusal by Hamas of a U.S.-brokered hostage deal (the ‘Witkoff Proposal’) which Israel has agreed to.’’

The presentation of the EU report came as Israel is since June 13 in a war against Iran in order to dismantle the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missiles programs that threaten Israel. A topic that was also high on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday.

“Today there was a broad consensus among European countries that we must continue the discussions, because diplomacy is the way to achieve a long-term agreement with Iran in order to prevent it from having nuclear weapons,” Kallas said.

“Iran has been a threat for decades, and the EU has always said that it should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, as it would pose a threat to international security. But military actions are always fraught with risks and uncertainties. What matters now is minimizing the risk of further escalation,” she added.