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FM Sa'ar sends letter to the President of the European Commission ahead of tomorrow's meeting of the European Union's College of Commissioners

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

"This unprecedented proposal, that has never been implemented against any other country, constitutes a clear attempt to harm Israel while we are still fighting a war imposed on us by the October 7 terror attack - the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust."

Type: Press Releases
Topic: Foreign Policy
Publish Date: 16.09.2025

Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar today (Tuesday, 16 September 2025) sent a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen ahead of tomorrow's meeting of the European Union's College of Commissioners regarding the President's proposal to put political pressure on Israel by suspending trade-related provisions in the E.U.-Israel Association Agreement 

Text of the Letter:

Madam President,

Regarding your intention to submit in the upcoming meeting of the College of Commissioners - without any prior notice, in "blitz" speed and without any consultation with us and against the spirit of the Association Agreement - a proposal to suspend certain trade-related provisions of the Association Agreement.

This unprecedented proposal, that has never been implemented against any other country, constitutes a clear attempt to harm Israel while we are still fighting a war imposed on us by the October 7 terror attack - the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. This existential war is being fought against Hamas and the terrorist organizations in Gaza, while we are still being attacked also by the Houthis in Yemen.

As you know well, the war continues because Hamas refuses to release the hostages and insists on maintaining its military power in Gaza. Had Hamas agreed to disarm and release the hostages, the war would have ended long ago.

It is profoundly disturbing that you, by advancing such a proposal, are in practice empowering a terrorist organization responsible for and continuing to perpetrate heinous crimes, while Israel, a longstanding partner of the EU, fights an existential war. It also jeopardizes the ongoing efforts to end the war.

Pressure through sanctions will not work. The State of Israel is a proud sovereign nation, and we will not be bent through threats while Israel's security is at stake. As has been clearly stated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, initiatives of this nature embolden Hamas, harden its stance, and undermine progress toward potential agreements. These kinds of measures will also harm European citizens as it will raise prices of commodities.

Moreover, the proposal is also replete with false accusations and legal flaws:

1. You have failed to meet even minimal due process requirements and have acted in bad faith. You have not given Israel any adequate notice regarding its current proposal, and failed to provide Israel even the slightest opportunity to respond. Under the Association Agreement, the President and the EU must bring the matter to the Association Council before making any decision.
2. This adds to the outargues so-called "review" process undertaken by the EU in June, singling out Israel, while brazenly violating all basic principles of naturality, impartiality and fairness with a false "report", while totally ignoring the information provided by Israel.
3. The present proposal to punish Israel ignores the extensive efforts undertaken by Israel, including those taken following the dialogue with the EU. Allegations of material breach of Art. 2 of the Association Agreement by Israel are obscene. Israel is a law-abiding state acting in compliance with international law. As has been acknowledged by the EU, Israel has taken extensive and unprecedented efforts to allow and facilitate humanitarian assistance, including a dramatic increase in supply. Thus, there are no grounds to claim "special urgency" within the meaning of the Agreement. Your sudden decision raises significant questions, unless the purpose of this decision is to undermine Israel's fight against terrorist organizations in Gaza.
4. The President and the EU rely heavily on unverified and manipulated data based on Hamas controlled sources. In doing so, the EU plays into the hands of Hamas, and their calculated strategy to harm Israel and to undermine its right to exist.
5. The President and the EU attempts to overpass its own rules in order to advance dangerous politically motivated foreign policy measure, not a common commercial or trade issue. Under the EU's own Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), any decision taken in connection with this initiative requires unanimity. In addition, suspension of trade of services and the commercial aspects of intellectual property requires unanimity.
6. Your initiative clearly infringes upon the requirement to select a measure that least disturbs the functioning of the Agreement. Any suspension of trade-related provisions of the Agreement is wholly inappropriate and unproportionate.
7. The present process disregards the complex factual and normative context and Israel's war against terror and attempts to eliminate it. The right of a party to the Agreement to take measures in order to protect its essential security interests in time of war is recognized in the Agreement and is inherent to international law more broadly.

Madam President,

Eighty years have passed since the Holocaust on European soil occurred, taking the life of 6 million of our people. We have established a homeland for our people in our ancestral land, fighting relentlessly for our lives and security. Europe harming Israel while there is an attempt to annihilate the surviving remnant of the Jewish people and its only state marks the trampling of every moral standard and disregards Europe's historical responsibility.

Sincerely,
Gideon Sa'ar 
Minister of Foreign Affairs 

Copy:
H.E. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America 

H.E. Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union

EU Member States Foreign Ministers