"EU chief to propose suspension of political dialogue with Israel"

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Rousseff Borrell is reportedly planning to propose to EU member states to stop bilateral political dialogue, citing Israel's human rights violations in Gaza.

Citing sources, EU media outlets such as Euractiv reported that the idea was first discussed at a meeting of EU member states in Brussels, Belgium, on the 13th local time.

At this meeting, the member states are said to have shown conflicting positions.

Senior Representative Borrell is expected to propose the issue as an official agenda for the EU Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held in Brussels on the 18th.

In the meantime, EU leadership or member states have expressed their opinions individually, but they have never dealt with this as an official agenda.

Senior Representative Borrell's proposal was based on the "EU-Israel Cooperation Agreement" signed in 2000, with Article 2 of which conditioned bilateral cooperation to be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.