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The EU did not reach an agreement to suspend political dialogue with Israel, Poland announced

Poland and other bloc countries rejected Josep Borrell's proposal because of the events in Gaza

Nov 18, 2024 22:38 38

The EU did not reach an agreement to suspend political dialogue with Israel, Poland announced  - 1

European Union foreign ministers did not reach agreement to suspend political dialogue with Israel. This was reported by Poland after the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed a similar step, Reuters reported, as quoted by BTA.

Ahead of the meeting in Brussels, Borrell sent a letter to EU foreign ministers expressing "serious concern about possible violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza".

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Szykorski told reporters that neither Poland nor other bloc countries supported the proposal.

"We know that tragic events are taking place in Gaza and there are a large number of civilian casualties, but we cannot forget who started the current cycle of violence," stressed Shikorski. "I can assure you that there was no agreement on the idea of ending negotiations with Israel."

The political dialogue is part of a wider agreement on relations between the EU and Israel, which includes significant trade ties and has been in force since June 2000.

Stopping this dialogue would require unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states.

The EU continues to seek a common position on the issue of the war in Gaza, which began after the attack by the Palestinian group "Hamas" against Israel on October 7 last year. The bloc called on "Hamas" to release all Israeli hostages and insists that both countries respect international law.