EU’s Josep Borrell Urges Increased Pressure on Israel and Hamas

Brussels (Eurotoday) – The EU’s Josep Borrell emphasised the need to “put pressure on the Israeli administration” and Hamas to attain peace in the region.

How does Josep Borrell plan to address human rights concerns?What is the significance of the EU-Israel Association Agreement?

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on 18 Nov 2024 recalled that measures were made to “stop the war in Gaza,” including by the US, by “putting pressure to free the hostages and to stop the war. This has not occurred yet, and I do not see hope for this to happen. That is why we have to put stress on the Israeli government, also, obviously, on the Hamas side. Both sides have to be put under pressure,” Borrell told journalists before attending the EU Foreign Affairs Council summit in Brussels.

How does Josep Borrell plan to address human rights concerns?

Borrell stated he would offer “a proposal in order to study which are the decisions that could be taken for the compliance with the Association Council (with Israel) from the point of view of human rights, and also which measures can be taken in order to be sure that we satisfy all commitments in order not to trade with the products produced on occupied territories according with the rules of the International Court of Justice.”

What is the significance of the EU-Israel Association Agreement?

Earlier this year, Borrell formally asked the Israeli foreign minister to an ad hoc EU-Israel Association Council session to examine Israel’s compliance with its human rights commitments under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2000, delivers a legal and institutional framework for political dialogue and economic collaboration between the EU and Israel. Article 2 of the agreement states it is based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, described as an “essential element” of the pact.

A few days ago, Josep Borrell also urged to formally discontinue political dialogue with Israel over its unconcern for international law in the Gaza Strip, which requires approval from all 27 EU countries.


Comments

2 responses to “EU’s Josep Borrell Urges Increased Pressure on Israel and Hamas”

  1. Spoiler Betty Avatar
    Spoiler Betty

    Ah, the EU’s Josep Borrell, the master of diplomatic nudges, is here to sprinkle some fairy dust of pressure on Israel and Hamas. One must admire his confidence—because nothing says “let’s solve a decades-old conflict” quite like a sternly worded letter from Brussels. If only he could bottle that pressure and sell it as a fine Chianti, we’d all be toasting to peace in no time!

  2. NightDream Avatar

    Ah, Josep Borrell, the EU’s very own peacemaker, has decided to sprinkle some extra pressure on Israel and Hamas—because clearly, turning up the heat always works wonders in a decades-long conflict. It’s like trying to cook pasta by just yelling at it, isn’t it? With diplomacy at its finest, one can only wonder if the next EU summit will be a culinary lesson in how to boil the ocean.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

Can Europe Manage the Ceuta Consequences?

Can Europe Manage the Ceuta Consequences?

Home affairs ministers are gathering this morning amid the ongoing impact of the Ceuta crisis in Europe.
The recent sudden influx of migrants into the Spanish exclave — most of whom have since returned — led to intense discussions among European leaders. In the show, hosts Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart discuss whether today’s emergency meeting can ease tensions and what measures the Comm

Read More

EU Socialists and Democrats Assert Propaganda Can’t Undermine Solidarity

EU Socialists and Democrats Assert Propaganda Can’t Undermine Solidarity

The Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament sent a letter to President von der Leyen on August 1st, urging her to clarify the rules regarding the suspension of the Schengen area by member states after the Ceuta events. The S&D Group expressed concern over the exploitation of the Ceuta situation by certain governments for political gain, emphasizing that no member state can

Read More

Why Commemorating the Roma Holocaust Alone "Is Not Enough"

Why Commemorating the Roma Holocaust Alone "Is Not Enough"

Some 82 years after the mass murder of Roma and Sinti at Auschwitz-Birkenau, anti-Roma hate persists. Today’s Roma Holocaust Memorial Day is a warning that Europe is still failing to turn the lessons of history into political reality.
This September, Saxony-Anhalt goes to the polls, with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) polling above 40 per cent and within reach of an outright majority. Over 80

Read More

Andy Burnham’s 6 Most Shameless Manchester Promos

Andy Burnham’s 6 Most Shameless Manchester Promos

Burnham celebrates with a dance after being named the new Labour Party leader in London on July 17, 2026. | Carl Court/Getty Images
He danced in a dad-style to New Order’s “True Faith” upon becoming Labour leader and featured a TikTok blind ranking of five bands, with four hailing from Manchester.
Naturally, his official Spotify selection during the Makerfield by-election was filled with tracks by

Read More

Dublin Event on World Humanitarian Day to Focus on Practical Helping Skills

Dublin Event on World Humanitarian Day to Focus on Practical Helping Skills

KINGNEWSWIRE // PRESS RELEASE
Church of Scientology & Community Centre of Dublin to highlight humanitarian principles through community service
DUBLIN, Ireland, 3 August 2026 — On Saturday, 29 August 2026, a World Humanitarian Day event focusing on practical community service methods will be held at the Church of Scientology & Community Centre of Dublin.
The three-hour event from 2 p.m

Read More

Some MEPs Urge EU Parliament to Reconvene for Ceuta Crisis Discussion

Some MEPs Urge EU Parliament to Reconvene for Ceuta Crisis Discussion

Some MEPs have formally requested that the European Parliament be convened on an “exceptional basis” for an urgent debate on the migration crisis in Ceuta.
This, they say, should be with the participation of the Council and the European Commission.
The parliament is currently in recess for the summer and reconvening would be an exceptional step.
The extraordinary surge of arrivals has left at le

Read More

EU Ministers Support Spain Amid Ceuta Crisis, Elevating Migration on Agenda

EU Ministers Support Spain Amid Ceuta Crisis, Elevating Migration on Agenda

The interior ministers plan to seek further rapprochement. Tuesday’s discussion will focus on lessons from Ceuta, enhancing controls at the bloc’s external borders, and addressing potential future episodes of instrumentalized migration, rather than assigning blame for the crisis, according to three diplomats.
“Everyone is very willing and eager to help, acknowledging this has been very difficult f

Read More

UN CRPD Committee Urges Council of Europe Member States to Reject and Withdraw Additional Protocol

UN CRPD Committee Urges Council of Europe Member States to Reject and Withdraw Additional Protocol

The UN CRPD Committee meeting in the UN Offices in Geneva. Photo credits: THIX PhotoThe final discussions on the potential new Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention continue intensely within the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The UN CRPD Committee issued an Open letter urging Member States to oppose the draft Additional Protocol and adhere to their human rights obligation

Read More

France and Guinea Transformed Restitution into a Political Deal

France and Guinea Transformed Restitution into a Political Deal

In the reserves of the Musée de l’Armée in Paris sits a manuscript that France and Guinea have both decided, this summer, they want to talk about. It is the personal Quran of Samory Touré, the Malinke cleric and general who fought the French army across West Africa for sixteen years before his capture in 1898. Conakry has filed a formal request to bring it home, along with his sabre, his war tun

Read More

| The Times of Europe

| The Times of Europe

Civil Society: Council of Europe Must Not Legitimize Coercion in Psychiatry
A coalition of disability and human rights organizations, mental health service providers, and the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) calls on the Council of Europe to abandon the draft Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention on mental healthcare, arguing it would entrench coercion and fo

Read More