Israeli media: EU suspends cooperation with Israeli police

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
7 Dec 2022 15:55

The European Union announces that it will discontinue its intelligence cooperation agreement between the Israeli police and Europol.

Israeli Ambassador to the EU Haim Regev and his European counterpart sign an intelligence sharing agreement on September 14, 2022 (Israeli Police)

Haaretz, an Israeli daily, quoted Israeli sources as saying that the European Union has frozen Europol's intelligence cooperation with the Israeli police because of the next Israeli government's policies toward the West Bank and its far-right governance.

According to the newspaper article, which was published on Tuesday, the EU informed the ambassador to "Israel" that it will discontinue its intelligence cooperation agreement between the Israeli police and Europol.

The draft cooperation was signed last September and requires the endorsement of the European Parliament. However, some countries opposed it, especially after the occupation's election results.

Israeli sources analyzed that the decision is Europe's message to "Israel" that its Israeli policy in the West Bank will impede cooperation between the European body and the occupation.

"There is pressure in Europe to be less tolerant of 'Israel' now that the government has changed."

With a government increasingly far-right in European perceptions, Netanyahu's incursions into the West Bank and the increasingly bloody violence that has seen Palestinian lives taken, the EU has lost its motive to cooperate with Israeli police.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu reached a coalition agreement with the far-right Religious Zionism party. Religious Zionism will be given control of the Finance Ministry as part of a rotation, according to Likud, though the timing of the rotation was not specified. The party will also have a significant impact on policies in the occupied West Bank.

"This is another significant step bringing us closer to forming a right-wing, nationalist government that will look out for all Israeli citizens," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu must still agree with his allies in the two religious parties, Shas and Jewish Power, to form the next government.

He has 28 days to form a government, and the deadline can be extended by 14 days.