EU freezes Israel police cooperation deal as far-right prepare for government

The EU has frozen a cooperation agreement with Israeli police following concerns about the policies of the next Israeli government, which will likely be dominated by far-right elements, according to reports.

Israel and the EU in September agreed on a draft on intelligence sharing and other cooperation between police forces, which will have to be approved by the European parliament. Israel was reportedly handed the decision to freeze the agreement on Friday.

Wins by the extreme right Religious Zionism movement in November's election have halted these plans, as former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to form a government including the extremist bloc.

"The EU informed Israeli Ambassador Haim Regev that it will, for the time being, stop promoting a draft agreement for intelligence cooperation between the Israeli police and the European Police Agency, Europol," sources told Haaretz newspaper.

The EU is said to be concerned about potential unrest in the occupied West Bank with Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Religious Zionism bloc likely to be given the National Security portfolio and Bezalel Smotrich touted as the next minister of finance, along with other key positions for extreme-right leaders.

Ben-Gvir, was convicted in 2007 of racist incitement against Palestinians and backing a group considered by Israel and the United States to be a terrorist organisation.

However, the EU's Law Enforcement Cooperation Unit spokesman, Rob Rosenberg, said Monday the agreement will go ahead with some amendments and limited to "the situation of material threats and the need to protect the civilian population".

This would include a clause stopping Israel from using any information provided by the EU in the occupied West Bank, although it is not clear how the Europeans would enforce this.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war in violation of international law, and has constructed hundreds of illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories to cement its rule.

Israeli police have been accused of countless human rights abuses against Palestinians in the occupied territories, as well as against Palestinian citizens of Israel, including the fatal shooting of protesters and unarmed people.

Last week, Ben-Gvir praised the killing of an unarmed Palestinian man in the occupied city of Nablus.