The Israeli occupation declined the European Union's request for an ad-hoc summit aimed at addressing its compliance with human rights obligations under a bilateral agreement. This decision was communicated in a letter sent to EU High Representative Josep Borrell, according to the Israeli mission to the EU as reported Friday by Politico.

The proposed meeting was intended to be part of the EU-Israel Association Council, a forum meant to discuss the full spectrum of bilateral relations, including trade, education, culture, and human rights. The call for this special session came amidst growing concerns within the EU about the humanitarian impact of the Israeli occupation's aggression on Gaza.

The Israeli occupation claims to be open to convening an Association Council, though it insists on a regular meeting rather than the ad-hoc session proposed by the EU.

"We are happy to convene an Association Council. Not an ad-hoc association council, but a regular association in which, as with any other country, we discuss all elements of bilateral EU-Israel relations, including trade, and education and culture … as well as human rights-related topics and the war," the Israeli mission told Politico. They further emphasized that the Association Council should not be used for political leverage.

The Israeli decision comes as Hungary, one of its staunchest supporters within the EU, is set to assume the presidency of the EU Council in the second half of the year.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on social media that the occupation would agree to a regular summit under Hungary's presidency, aiming to enhance its status within the EU with support from Hungary and other allied countries.

Belgium, which holds the EU presidency until the end of the month, has been particularly vocal in its stance, advocating for reopening the agreement to impose trade sanctions on "Israel" after having previously sought to schedule the meeting within its tenure.

Notably, the EU-Israel Association Council meetings had been on hiatus for nearly a decade before resuming in 2022. The ongoing debate about Israeli human rights compliance and the Israeli occupation forces' military actions in Gaza continues to shape the EU's diplomatic and trade relations with the occupation. 

Europe today is the Israeli occupation's largest trading partner, accounting for 28.8% of its trade in goods in 2022, meaning there is a lot on the line for the Israeli occupation were sanctions to be imposed upon it.

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EU mulling sanctions

The European Union (EU) ministers engaged in a "significant" discussion on sanctioning the Israeli regime if it does not comply with international humanitarian law, Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said in late May. 

"There was a very clear consensus about the need to uphold the international humanitarian legal institutions," Martin told reporters following the Foreign Affairs Council. 

The meeting comes amid continued Israeli attacks on the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip, Rafah, which an International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered to be halted.

Most recently, the Israeli occupation intensified its bombardment of civilians in the area, targeting a temporary camp that forcibly displaced Palestinians had set up. This attack killed at least 45 Palestinians, an action which was broadly condemned by EU leaders. 

Despite public condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza, the EU has been slow to mobilize sanctions against the Israeli regime. Particularly, the EU is legally obligated to suspend its association agreement with "Israel", due to blatant human rights violations and defiance of ICJ orders. 

The matter was pointed out by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, earlier in April. Still, the EU has yet to take effective action against the Israeli regime, as several member states recently worked on recognizing the Palestinian state and pushing for sanctions against the Israeli regime, including Ireland and Spain. 

"For the first time at an EU meeting, in a real way, I’ve seen significant discussion on sanctions and ‘what if’," Martin said.

However, Martin did point to an internal rift between European officials, saying that there is "some distance between people articulating the need for a sanction-based approach" targeting the rogue Israeli regime. According to the Irish foreign minister, this has made it difficult to reach an agreement, "given all the different perspectives" on the matter. 

"One of the conclusions was to convene a meeting of the EU-Israeli Association Council to raise our grave concerns and to... seek from Israel a response in terms of complying with the orders of the Court," he said.

Since the war on Gaza was launched, the Israeli occupation has committed multiple massacres in the Gaza Strip on a daily basis, targeting civilian infrastructure, essential medical facilities, schools, humanitarian aid convoys, journalists, and other internationally protected facilities and persons.