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Middle East conflict

Israel to ‘give appropriate response’ in case EU of restrictions — foreign ministry

"We hope that we will not have to take retaliatory actions," Gideon Saar added

TEL AVIV, September 17. /TASS/. Israel intends to "give an appropriate response," if the European Union introduces restrictive measures, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"Israel, with the help of its friends in Europe, will continue to fight attempts to harm it in the midst of a war for the right to exist. An appropriate response will be given to the steps against Israel, and we hope that we will not have to take retaliatory actions," Saar said in a statement.

Earlier on Wednesday, the European Commission (EC) proposed to suspend some trade provisions of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel to deprive Israeli goods of preferential access to the European market to punish it for its actions in the Gaza Strip.

"The recommendations of the Board of EU Commissioners, headed by [EC President Ursula] von der Leyen, are morally and politically distorted, and we should hope that they will not be accepted like it was before. Actions against Israel will harm the interests of Europe itself," Saar said.

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