Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has called on the European Union to explore actionable options regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Israel. “Nobody is able to tolerate this humanitarian situation right now. So we need decisions. And the high representative was asked to bring initial proposals to the table and she will do it … during July and probably the [Foreign Affairs Council] will take some measures,” Nausėda stated.
His remarks follow the release of findings from an internal review commissioned by 19 member states, which suggested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government may have violated the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The report, initially obtained by POLITICO, supports Israel’s right to self-defense but highlights an “unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians,” as well as attacks on hospitals and the displacement of around 90 percent of the local population.
Israel has dismissed these claims, labeling the review as “outrageous.”
Ahead of the upcoming summit, officials indicated that Nausėda would gauge the level of support among member countries before deciding to propose specific actions. Terminating the agreement would necessitate unanimous agreement from all member states, a prospect complicated by opposition from allies such as Germany and Hungary. However, measures such as reducing trade relationships or sanctioning exports from illegal settlements in the West Bank could potentially be enacted with a qualified majority vote among member countries.
Nausėda emphasized, “In all these cases, Europe loses credibility. Everybody is looking at us and we can say only that we are deeply worried and deeply concerned.” A spokesperson for the European Commission declined to provide any comments on the matter.
This story has been updated.