EU Signals Tougher Line on Zionist Entity with Sanctions and Suspension of Trade Preferences

The European Union announced a major policy shift on Wednesday as its top diplomat unveiled plans to downgrade trade relations with the Zionist entity and impose sanctions on senior officials, citing grave human rights violations in Gaza. The move reflects growing pressure within the bloc to respond more forcefully to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the enclave.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that all member states agree the situation in Gaza has become “untenable,” warning that the Zionist entity’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza City only deepens the crisis. Kallas also noted that European public opinion is increasingly demanding political action to stop the bloodshed, while cautioning that developments in the West Bank threaten prospects for a two-state solution.

The plan targets preferential trade benefits granted under the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement, which means Zionist goods will lose privileged access to the EU market and face standard tariffs.

Alongside trade restrictions, the commission proposed sanctions on extremist Zionist ministers and violent settlers, while suspending €14 million in bilateral support to the Zionist government. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underscored that the decision reflects both humanitarian concerns and a demand for accountability, declaring that “the horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop.”