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LAST UPDATE | 15 Jul
EU FOREIGN MINISTERS failed to agree to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement at a meeting in Brussels today.
They also failed to agree to any of the nine other options presented to them that would have taken action against Israel.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had put forward the ten potential steps after Israel was found to have breached a trade deal between the two sides on human rights grounds.
Amnesty International’s secretary general Agnès Callamard said the result of today’s meeting “will be remembered as one of the most disgraceful moments in the EU’s history”.
“This is more than political cowardice. Every time the EU fails to act, the risk of complicity in Israel’s actions grows.
“This sends an extremely dangerous message to perpetrators of atrocity crimes that they will not only go unpunished but be rewarded.”
The ten measures ranged from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel.
None of them garnered sufficient support at today’s meeting.
Despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over how to tackle Israel and diplomats say there appears to be no critical mass for any move.
“I was asked to give the inventory of the options that could be taken and it’s up to the member states to discuss what do we do with these options,” Kallas said on Monday.
Kallas said last week that she had struck a deal with her Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, to open more entry points and allow in more food.
This deal has been criticised by several Irish MEPs, who point to UN figures which say that more than more than 800 people in Gaza have been killed by the Israel Defence Forces while attempting to get aid since May alone.
Gaza’s two million residents are facing dire humanitarian conditions as Israel has severely limited aid during its devastating war on the territory.
“We see some good signs of more trucks getting in,” Kallas said on Monday.
“But of course we know that this is not enough and we need to push more (so) that the implementation of what we have agreed also happens on the ground.”
At a meeting of EU and neighbouring countries in Brussels on Monday, Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said the situation in Gaza remained “catastrophic”.
Israel’s Saar, speaking at the same meeting, had sounded confident his country would avoid further EU action.
“I’m sure not any of them will be adopted by the EU member states,” said the foreign minister. “There’s no justification whatsoever.”
Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in Palestine has killed more than 58,000 people since the Hamas-led attack on the country in October 2023.
With reporting from AFP
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It’s positive news but the next two weeks are crucial!
Such a bunch of Debbie Downers, can they not let people enjoy a bit of hope?
@Angela Jones: Sam McConkey is running around screaming and demanding a recount.
@Angela Jones: debbie downers is an understatement for them, feck sake what about abit of hope and a sense of possible normality for people.
Vaccines are no good until people GET vaccinated. Education on the importance of getting vaccinated to go along. There is so much misinformation out there about vaccines. Let’s hope people remove their tinfoil hats on this one.
@Optimus Prime: Really good point you made about vaccine education as so many misunderstand what vaccines do and how they work. People can get sick at any time but sometimes they get sick after having taken a vaccine and convince themselves that the vaccine caused their illness, whereas, correlation does not equal causation. If they need proof vaccines work just look at how vaccines have eradicated Polio and many other deadly diseases.
@Optimus Prime: I’ll be getting it,but I’ll be waiting 6-12 months.
I’m extremely cautious about putting ANY new medicines in my body,as I tend towards rarer, and even unlikely side effects.
@Optimus Prime: I don’t come here for sensible comments and logic. Get out, and give me back my hyperbole and scaremongering please.
@Optimus Prime: yeah pity that there is so many simpletons and tin foil hatters that you can never educate tho haha.
@Optimus Prime: Enough with tinfoil hats cr-ap. Just because some do not want to rush in and get the vaccine doesn’t make them conspiracy theorists. It just mean some are more cautious then others. Some more worried about side effects and safety. Most vaccines take at the very least.3+ years to to be safely tested and there’s still a chance of serious side effects occurring. Vaccines are necessary at times and a lot of diseases have been eradicated because of there efficacy but most were not introduced after 6 months .They went through years of rigorous testing and safety measures. So stop belittling anyone who is not beating a path to their doctor straight away. Its the right of every person to decide what is right for them.
@Franny Ando: thank you!! I am one of those cautious people.
I’m not in any way against vaccines. I do plan on getting this, once there is a proven track record in the wider community.
I regularly get rarer, or even unknown side effects from most medications, including very common ones. As such, I’m cautious about putting previously unused medicines into my body. It doesnt mean I wont.. just that I’m careful. A vaccine is more concerning though, as there is usually no way to take yourself off it, if things go wrong,like I’ve had to do with different tablets in the past.
I would never tell anyone not to get the vaccine unless it was verifiably unsafe.
@Franny Ando: Well said. If you don’t agree with some people’s opinions you’re classed as a loon & a tinfoil hat wearer. I’m all for a vaccine & cautiously optimistic about its arrival, but I won’t be running to my GP to get straight away.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: I wouldn’t worry. Health workers and venerable people will be first in line. If they do start rolling it out by the end of this year and it’s a 2 does vaccine, AND they hope to make 1.3 billion in 2021 you and I will be probably be waiting until 2022 for ours.
@Kevin O’Brien: No Kevin, a person is classed as a loon & tinfoil hat wearer if they ignore the vast weight of scientific study and knowledge and choose to believe that Bill Gates wants to put a chip into all of us. Or that 5G is a mind control device, or that vaccines give you autism.
A person’s opinion does not outweigh years and years of peer reviewed study.
@Cian – Wash your: This vaccine hasn’t been peer reviewed and hasn’t had years and years of testing.
I think as a country we need to celebrate this stage 3 trials of the vaccine which is reporting 90% effectiveness and give everyone this hope because it is real hope at 90% We can’t keep the negative covid restraints going without celebrating each step in the positive on the way . I think the department of health need to handle the good as well as they handle the bad . Think of those in care homes or with back ground illnesses they all need to hear the good without too many cautious ..buts… which is all I heard today . They need hope having spent 8 months living apart from the world they know and need . This is really good news today
@mary o dwyer: agree 100% Mary , I know that they are ‘health officials’ and their role is to be very cautious and pragmatic etc but they need to understand that during these strangest of times that communication with a population and ordinary people who are 9 months into this anxiety ridden saga – they really need to let some PR people handle their media messaging – people are hanging onto their every word and while i dont disagree they need to be cautious in practice – they most certainly need to be able to ‘read the room’ so to speak – and judge the mood of the people and message accordingly – they should be releasing statements saying that this is very positive news and will help us navigate our way out of this mess – it is not a silver bullet that means we can just drop everything else but people already know that – we need to hear how we get our lives back to normal and they need to stop being so comfortable with their piety and often condescending tone as if they get to decide how we live our lives from now on just because we are in a health emergency – people should be happy we are making this level of progress with vaccine solutions so quickly so far imo
@Dave Hammond: Well said
@mary o dwyer: personally, I’m not classing this as positive news, nor am I celebrating it.
I’m viewing it as being not negative news, will be watching with interest, but without getting my Hope’s up.
So why has the EU signed a deal for 300million vaccines there is misinformation again between NEPTH and what the government and EU are saying g who is running this mad House not mehole and the leak by the looks of things
@Mark Behan: The EU hasn’t yet, they’re currently in talks to do so. And they’re doing deals with various vaccine producers so that they aren’t left haggling at the last minute for any vaccines they might produce. The rest of your comment is too unintelligible to respond to
@Darren McEneaney: funny enough if you check with Pfizer the deal is done unless you have inside information. No one asked you to respond to me so have a good night fw.
@Mark Behan: The EU began signing a deals with pharmaceutical companies months ago in anticipation that their vaccines will eventually be approved, they are gambling. They signed deals with about 5 different vaccine manufacturers in the hope that at least some will work out. They also have to do this as there will be a scramble for vaccine when they are approved so they want to be first in the cue. The EU signed a deal on our behalf.
“EU has struck deal for millions of Covid vaccine doses on behalf of Ireland, committee told”
@Darren McEneaney: Commission reaches first agreement on a potential vaccine – European Commission
14 Aug 2020 — … for the purchase of 300 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with an option to purchase 100 million more, on behalf of EU Member States
@David Jordan: hi David I,am aware of that they are make deals sine aug Commission reaches first agreement on a potential vaccine – European Commission
14 Aug 2020 — … for the purchase of 300 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with an option to purchase 100 million more, on behalf of EU Member States
They are making 300 million deals every where I was the comment that NEPTH are just so negative about everything that other countries and governments are positive about and they seem to be running the country at present.
@Mark Behan: Did… did you just give out to somebody for replying to your public comment on a comments section? Really?
Stock markets say otherwise
Come on, all on board……Step right up labrats, step right up……
So it’s good news, kind of.
Lump it. Think I’ll stick with my 99.97% of survival.
Bah Humbug!
@Kevin Hill: they’ve really got to stop these guys speaking on public. First bit of light this year, most of world reacts positively but our lot have to constantly wield the stick.
Not asking for Bo Jo style exuberance but some positivity and hope would be a nice change.
Next 2 weeks are crucial
Yeah, if it is like flu vaccine when they recommend it and the chemists haven’t got any available, we could be waiting for a while…
@Claude Saulnier: GP’s have plenty
@Fabio Dillon: they really do. They don’t want you to know that but they do
NPHET can’t even publish their minutes but he wants relevant data…….
Let’s hope they get the mink covid strain in Denmark contained. It has a different sequence and this renders the current vaccines under review useless. All mink are being culled at the moment.
And the icing on the cake was Cork bating Kerry yesterday.
No Idea of long term effects yet. The last time we rushed a vaccine into use there were long term side effects and court cases are still ongoing.
They’re more worried about their time in the limelight coming to an end…
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