"EU to launch Israel trade review as Gaza crisis worsens"

“Pressure is necessary to change the situation,” top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said.

The EU will review its political and economic agreement between Israel and the European Union over the "catastrophic" situation in Gaza, Kaja Kallas said Tuesday. [...]

"The situation in Gaza is catastrophic," said Kallas, the EU's top diplomat. "The aid that Israel has allowed in is of course welcomed, but it's a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately without obstruction and at scale because this is what is needed." [...]

"The Netherlands took the initiative because we have grave concerns about Gaza," said Veldkamp. "We are grateful that enough Member States support this step and that the High Representative Kaja Kallas has decided to initiate the review of Art 2."

"This is an important European signal that the Israeli government needs to fully lift the humanitarian blockade," he said. "Meanwhile, we need to keep working towards a ceasefire, to get the hostages released, humanitarian aid to those in need and bring an end to this terrible war." [...]

Kallas's tone has shifted since last week when she said that such an initiative is unlikely to succeed given uneven political support inside the EU to apply more pressure to Israel. [...]

Marc Botenga MEP, The Left Group's coordinator on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, welcomed the review of the Israel-EU agreement, but added: "Israel is still receiving arms and public funds from Europe. This full complicity with genocide and ethnic cleansing is outrageous. We need a total arms embargo against Israel now and an immediate cancellation of the EU-Israel Association Agreement."

Britain on Tuesday halted negotiations on a free trade agreement with Israel. [...]