”This war was forced upon Israel by Hamas who is the one responsible for its continuation. Israel agreed time and again to the American proposals to a ceasefire and to the release of the hostages. Hamas refused each and every one of these proposals.”

”We completely reject the direction taken in the statement, which reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing,” said Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein following, the announcement by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that a ”strong” majority of EU member states agreed to ask the EU Commission to review Israel’s obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. 

”This war was forced upon Israel by Hamas, and Hamas is the one responsible for its continuation. Israel agreed time and again to the American proposals to a ceasefire and to the release of the hostages. Hamas refused each and every one of these proposals,” he added.

“Ignoring these realities and criticising Israel only hardens Hamas’s position and encourages Hamas to stick to its guns. Hamas’s recent praise for such criticism is a clear indication of this and results in prolonging the war,” he said.

”It is also unfortunate that the statement ignores both the American initiative to transfer aid without it reaching Hamas, and the recent Israeli decision to facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza,” he continued.

The spokesperson thanked ghe  countries ”that recognized this reality, supported Israel during the discussion” and said that Israel ”remains committed to open dialogue with the EU and its member states.”
According to several reports, 14 out of 27 EU countries voted in favour of a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, an intitiative spearheaded by Netherlands.