EU's Borrell proposes suspending dialogue with Israel over Gaza war concerns

The European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposes that the bloc suspends a political dialogue with Israel, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing four diplomats and a letter sent on Wednesday to EU foreign ministers ahead of their meeting on Monday.

Borrell cited "serious concerns about possible breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza" and said "thus far, these concerns have not been sufficiently addressed by Israel."

"In light of the above considerations, I will be tabling a proposal that the EU should invoke the human rights clause to suspend the political dialogue with Israel," write EU foreign policy chief.

Borrell's proposal is intended to send a strong signal of concern about Israel's conduct in the war, said one diplomat. Earlier last week, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office said nearly 70% of the fatalities it has verified in the war were women and children. The agency condemned what it called a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

A suspension would need approval from all 27 EU countries, which the diplomats told Reuters was very unlikely. Multiple countries are said to have already objected when a senior EU official briefed ambassadors in Brussels on the proposal.