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

EU Anti-Fraud Office Considers Investigation into Senior Far-Right Patriots Official

EU Anti-Fraud Office Considers Investigation into Senior Far-Right Patriots Official

Transparency International requested the EU’s anti-fraud office (OLAF) on April 24 to investigate administrative failures and recommended disciplinary action against former Belgian MEP and Secretary-General of the Patriots group, Philip Claeys, as per a letter viewed by POLITICO. Transparency International claims Claeys was accountable due to his approval of the spending.
An OLAF spokesperson conf

Read More

Horizon Europe’s SWIFTT Project Unveils Copernicus-Based Tool for EU Forest Threat Prevention

Horizon Europe’s SWIFTT Project Unveils Copernicus-Based Tool for EU Forest Threat Prevention

The SWIFTT platform enhances decision-making in addressing spruce bark beetle outbreaks, wildfires, and windthrow.

The SWIFTT platform enhances decision-making in addressing spruce bark beetle outbreaks, wildfires, and windthrow.
PARIS, FRANCE, April 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — SWIFTT is an advanced forest management tool utilizing Copernicus Sentinel satellite data and machine learning.

Read More

Last Year’s Heat Was Intense; Next Year Promises Greater Extremes.

Last Year’s Heat Was Intense; Next Year Promises Greater Extremes.

The year 2026 is likely to become the second-warmest on record globally, as indicated by various analyses.
In Europe, last winter was among the coldest in recent times, but temperatures have been recovering. March was the continent’s second-warmest on record.
Wednesday’s report highlighted 2025 as Europe’s worst wildfire season, regarding land burnt and the emissions from these fires.
Sea temperat

Read More

The Devil’s Pills: The Lady of Elche

The Devil’s Pills: The Lady of Elche

In 1990, 36 years ago, I released a book titled The Devil, the Evil Syndrome, co-authored with a Galician writer, with whom I never collaborated again. The title’s relevance today lies in the term The Evil Syndrome. Back then, I found it intriguing how people in trials confessed to actions supposedly influenced by negative forces, yet often, the consumption of mood-altering pills was a recu

Read More

Hidden Messages in King Charles’s Speech to Congress

Hidden Messages in King Charles’s Speech to Congress

Statement: “In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time, and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder, through two world wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security.”
Interpretat

Read More

Kremlin: Moscow Praises Radev’s Remarks on Dialogue with Russia

Kremlin: Moscow Praises Radev’s Remarks on Dialogue with Russia

On April 19, Bulgaria conducted its eighth National Assembly elections since 2021.
The Russian government has expressed positive reception to future Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s remarks on fostering pragmatic dialogue with Russia, as reported by the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov.
“We are notably impressed by Mr. Radev’s statements, who triumph

Read More

EU Parliament and Germany Clash Over Budget

EU Parliament and Germany Clash Over Budget

“Never underestimate the Parliament,” its president, Roberta Metsola, stated in a press briefing post-vote, emphasizing that lawmakers will not merely “rubber-stamp” the budget proposed by the capitals.
Pro-EU parties in Parliament — the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats, the centrist Renew group, and the Greens — all supported the push for i

Read More

The Purpose and Composition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians

The Purpose and Composition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians

Occasion and Purpose of Writing the Epistle
In the Corinthian church, disturbances and disorders arose, as noted in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:10 et seq.). To address these issues, Apostle Paul wrote his First Epistle to the Corinthians from Ephesus. Titus, whom Paul sent to Corinth, reported that the epistle had a beneficial effect on the Corinthians (2 Cor. 7:5 et seq.). The

Read More

EU Commission Restructures Top Positions Using Workaround

EU Commission Restructures Top Positions Using Workaround

One official stated that Weyand will leave the Secretariat-General and move to the European University Institute in Florence for a teaching role while still receiving her EU salary.
“It’s a three-way musical chairs game,” commented an EU official, highlighting the ripple effect of the changes.
Weyand’s exit allows Ditte Juul Jørgensen, the former director-general for energy, to a

Read More

Sudan: Top UN Aid Official Warns of ‘Abandoned Crisis’ as War Enters Fourth Year

Sudan: Top UN Aid Official Warns of ‘Abandoned Crisis’ as War Enters Fourth Year

Denise Brown, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, described the crisis as a cycle of repeated abuses and suffering. “We are on repeat in Sudan,” she stated from Khartoum, urging it not to be labeled as a forgotten crisis but as an abandoned one. Reports indicate widespread rape in Darfur; humanitarians there treated nearly 2,500 survivors of sexual violence last year, impacting families and

Read More