EU doesn't require unanimous decision to suspend association agreement with Israel, says Irish minister
Neale Richmond says 'it is now the time to make sure that not only can we hold Israel to account'
ATHENS
The EU does not require a unanimous decision to suspend the association agreement with Israel, said Ireland's Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond on Tuesday.
In his remarks before the beginning of an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Richmond said: “It's really important for the Irish government to absolutely underline the Israeli obligations to EU member states and the people of Gaza to make sure that we see a proper humanitarian corridor opened up and that, yes, we do look at Article Two and look at the human rights obligations of Israel towards the people of Gaza and indeed the West Bank.”
He underlined that they will make it clear to the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, that a majority or a unanimous decision is not needed to suspend the association agreement with Israel.
“It is now the time to make sure that not only can we hold Israel to account, but actually that we show that the EU believes in the rule of law and it believes in the protection of our values,” Richmond added.
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