Exclusive: Iran conflict to derail EU review of Israeli association agreement

Published connected 18/06/2025 - 14:51 GMT+2•Updated 17:40

The EU is improbable to suspend its relation statement pinch Israel successful nan discourse of its existent conflict pinch Iran, sources acquainted pinch nan rumor person told Euronews.

Last period a mostly of nan EU overseas ministers backed a Dutch connection to reappraisal nan bloc's ties pinch Israel complete its actions successful Gaza.

The EU’s negotiated corps, nan External Action Service (EEAS), has been reviewing nan bloc’s wide-ranging waste and acquisition and practice statement pinch Israel complete its subject violative successful Gaza and nan West Bank arsenic good arsenic its blocking of food, fuel, h2o and basal aesculapian supplies to nan besieged population.

The study was initiated to found whether Israel violated its quality authorities obligations nether Article 2 of nan EU-Israel Association Agreement, a broad-ranging pact that defines nan trading and negotiated relations betwixt some sides.

On Monday, EU overseas ministers will statement nan review, pinch respective EU negotiated sources saying it expected to find Israel successful breach of nan provisions.

But 2 sources acquainted pinch nan rumor told Euronews that personnel states will not respond by suspending successful all, aliases moreover portion nan statement pinch Israel owed to its conflict pinch Iran.

Some countries stay keen to push for a suspension. “We tin safely presume what nan reappraisal will say; if it’s going to beryllium successful immoderate measurement reliable it’ll opportunity Israel is successful breach of Article 2,” an EU diplomat from a state which supported nan reappraisal told Euronews, adding: “The main matter of business is getting a ceasefire successful Gaza – and immoderate we determine to do, it should beryllium aimed astatine getting astatine that.”

But a momentum of unit precocious applied to Israel has now slowed owed to nan conflict pinch Iran, nan 2 sources said.

“The pendulum has swung backmost to [support for] Israel."

“It’s improbable nan EU will suspend EU-Israel statement owed to Iran Israel war,” 1 of nan sources said.

The position of Germany successful nan negotiations is besides captious to nan discussions arsenic a determination to suspend portion of nan statement nether qualified mostly voting will require nan weight of Germany.

Last period German chancellor Friedrich Merz shifted nan support of Germany - traditionally a stalwart state of Israel - down nan determination to reappraisal nan Association Agreement, saying he nary longer understood nan Israeli army's extremity successful Gaza.

 “To harm nan civilian organization successful specified a way… tin nary longer beryllium justified arsenic a conflict against terrorism,” Merz said astatine nan time.

However, Merz has powerfully supported Israel successful nan discourse of nan existent strikes connected Iran saying astatine nan G7 connected Tuesday that “Israel is doing nan soiled activity for nan remainder of us”.

“The strikes connected Iran should beryllium further unit connected Israel to suspend nan relation agreement,” Martin Konecny, who heads nan European Middle East Project, told Euronews.

“But now it could create nan opposite, it will virtually beryllium reduced and it brings nan attraction distant from Gaza,” he said.

EU’s overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas has reiterated EU calls for a negotiated solution to nan Israel-Iran conflict. And again called connected each sides to “abide by world law, and de-escalate nan situation”.

“We will not suffer show of what is happening successful Gaza... we again telephone for contiguous afloat assistance access, ceasefire, and nan merchandise of hostages,”  she added.

Israel rejected nan EU determination to reappraisal nan bloc's waste and acquisition and practice pact pinch nan state complete its intensified violative successful Gaza.

"We wholly cull nan guidance taken successful nan statement, which reflects a full misunderstanding of nan analyzable reality Israel is facing," Israeli overseas ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said connected X astatine nan clip of nan decision.