EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said that the European Commission is ready to suspend trade relations and terminate its research partnership with Israel, but national governments are preventing further steps. She said this on Tuesday, September 9, during a debate in the European Parliament, Politico reports.

Kallas said that the options for further EU action are clear and remain on the table. At the same time, she acknowledged that EU member states “cannot agree on how to force the Israeli government to change course.”

“We cannot act as a union until member states agree on what to do,” she said.

The EU's top diplomat noted that the European Union had prepared a “list” of possible options for putting pressure on the Israeli government, including a proposal to sever trade ties and suspend the country's participation in the Horizon research and innovation fund, but added that “there is no consensus on further steps.”

“There have been some positive developments: between July 10 and September 1, 2,904 trucks entered, whereas between March and July, not a single truck entered the Gaza Strip. I believe that we must continue our diplomatic efforts with Israel, because without negotiations we will achieve nothing,” Kallas added.

It should be noted that the European Commission has proposed partially suspending Israel's participation in the Horizon Europe program, which funds scientific research and start-ups, due to the situation in the Gaza Strip. 

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that his country would not yet agree to the European Commission's proposal to impose sanctions on Israel over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.