Von der Leyen calls for partial suspension of EU

The European Commission will propose suspending the trade part of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, in a significant toughening of Brussels’ reaction to the war in Gaza. “What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable,” the Commission president said in a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, adding that she would propose a package of measures to ramp up pressure on the Israeli government, including putting her institution’s “bilateral support” to Israel on hold and suspending trade ties. The EU is Israel’s biggest trade partner, and 34% of Israel’s imports come from the bloc. The Commission has already proposed partially suspending Israeli companies from the EU’s research program – but the measure has not been taken because a majority of EU