As the European Commission announced plans for a new package of sanctions against Israel, President Yitzhak Herzog warned the EU against taking actions that could permanently damage bilateral relations, the Israeli TPS agency reported, BTA reports.
EU spokeswoman Paula Pinho said that tomorrow the commissioners “will adopt a package of measures towards Israel“, including a proposal to repeal some travel conditions in EU-Israel agreements.
In Jerusalem, Herzog received the new EU ambassador Michael Anthony Mann and stressed the importance of the partnership with Europe, despite the tensions over the war in Gaza. "I hope Europe will be wise enough not to take irreversible action," Herzog said, referring to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's statement on the partial suspension of the EU's Association Agreement with Israel.
The planned measures include the suspension of the trade part of the agreement, which would remove preferential access for Israeli goods to European markets. The EU is Israel's largest trading partner, accounting for nearly a third of the country's international trade in goods last year.
Herzog stressed that he remained a "passionate supporter of the relationship between Israel and Europe" and urged European leaders to review Israeli data on aid deliveries to Gaza. He added that the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages is the key to ending the war and paving the way for peace.
We recall that in the attack by “Hamas“ against Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, approximately 1,200 people died and 252 Israelis and foreigners were kidnapped as hostages, of whom about 20 are believed to be alive.