LONDON

Sweden and the Netherlands on Thursday jointly called on the European Union to suspend trade with Israel over the “extremely disturbing and intolerable” humanitarian situation in Gaza and Israel’s plans for a new settlement in the West Bank.

In a joint letter to the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, seen by Irish broadcaster RTE News, the two countries also accused Israel of failing to implement a July agreement with the EU on increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The July agreement, reached between Kallas and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, had previously forestalled a range of possible sanctions against Tel Aviv, including the suspension of the trade element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

In their letter, the Dutch and Swedish foreign ministers said they now “support the suspension of the trade chapter of the EU-Israel Association agreement and call upon the (European) Commission to put forward a proposal to this end.”

The ministers also called for targeted sanctions against “extremist Israeli ministers who promote illegal settlement activities, and actively work against a negotiated two-state solution.”

They further urged Kallas to provide a written analysis of the EU’s compliance with the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

The letter also emphasized the role of Hamas, saying the group “bears a heavy responsibility for the catastrophic situation” in Gaza and calling on it to relinquish power, disarm, and release remaining Israeli hostages.

Both ministers described the Israeli Higher Planning Council’s approval of the E1 Construction Plan -- which would extend a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and severely disrupt the contiguity of any future Palestinian state -- as “unacceptable and a clear violation of international law.”

Israel has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.