Ireland seeking review of EU-Israel trade deal
Ireland-Israel relations have plummeted since the start of the Gaza war amid significant pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli sentiment in the country.
The Irish premier said on Thursday the European Union should review its trade agreement with Israel due to the war in Gaza, as relations between Ireland and Israel continue to deteriorate.
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters following an EU summit in Brussels that European leaders discussed a “review of the EU-Israel agreement,” though no conclusions were reached. Varadkar wants to review the agreement due to concerns that Israel violated the human rights stipulations in the agreement.
“EU-Israel relations are founded on an agreement which has a human rights clause, and a lot of us believe that Israel may be in breach of that, and that’s something we’re talking about,” he said, according to the Irish Times.
Varadkar pointed to South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The court ruled last month that Israel must take more measures to protect and alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza but did not order a cease-fire.
