The European Union wants to review its cooperation agreement with Israel in view of the situation in the Gaza Strip, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday.

According to Kallas, a “strong majority” at a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels spoke in favour of reviewing whether Israel still adheres to the basic principles of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. These include that relations between the parties to the agreement are based on respect for human rights.

The Netherlands is one of several countries that charges that Israel has been violating this fundamental principle.

The background to this is that Israel has hardly allowed any aid supplies into the Gaza Strip, where around 2 million Palestinians live, since the beginning of March. Israel has justified its actions by saying that the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group benefits from the aid supplies.

Resumed Gaza aid deliveries ‘drop in the ocean’

“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic,” Kallas said in Brussels. She said the aid supplies Israel has recently allowed back into the area are welcome, but they are only a drop in the ocean.

Until Israel’s compliance with the agreement has been reviewed, the Netherlands has said it will not agree to a currently planned two-year extension of an EU-Israel action plan.

The EU says that this plan promotes Israel’s integration into European policies and programmes and is a basis for continuing cooperation between the two parties.

After the meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday, Kallas said there was no timetable for the agreed review. While the process was under way, it was hoped that Israel would end its blockade of aid deliveries, she said.

Intensive discussions on the partnership agreement with Israel had already taken place last year at the initiative of Spain and Ireland.

Israel criticizes EU move

Israel rejected the EU’s move, warning it could complicate efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said growing international criticism towards Israel would only embolden Hamas in the ongoing negotiations.

“It is also unfortunate that the statement ignores both the American initiative to transfer aid without it reaching Hamas, and the recent Israeli decision to facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza,” Marmorstein added.

Praise for what was described as a “long overdue and necessary” step came from the foreign ministry of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, which has repeatedly accused Israel of serious human rights violations in the Palestinian territories.