LOC21:09
18:09 GMT
BRUSSELS, Oct 20 (KUNA) -- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that the EU is keeping the door open to sanctioning Israeli occupation in order to maintain leverage and ensure the full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
"The ceasefire has changed the context, that is very clear for everybody," Kallas told a press conference after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. "However, unless we see real and sustained change on the ground, including more aid reaching Gaza, the threat of sanctions remains on the table," she added.
Kallas explained that the EU "will not move forward with the measures now, but we are not taking them off the table either, because the situation remains fragile." She noted that Brussels had previously proposed measures against Israeli occupation including "blacklisting ministers and curbing trade ties" before the truce deal was brokered by US President Donald Trump.
She said the EU expects the Israeli occupation to take a series of concrete steps, including "the improvement of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, transferring revenues to the Palestinian Authority, allowing journalists into the Gaza Strip, and registering NGOs."
Kallas stressed that "the EU is the largest financial backer of the Palestinian Authority and Gazaآ’s biggest humanitarian donor", noting that "our border assistance mission stands ready to deploy."
She added that "ministers discussed today how the European Union can put its full weight behind the peace plan, including by providing additional governance and reconstruction support."
Kallas emphasized that the EU, as the largest international donor to the Palestinians, "is currently considering how to increase its involvement in post-war Gaza," pointing out that Brussels "has reactivated its mission to help supervise the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, but it remains on hold while the route stays closed." (end)
arn.mt