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"European Parliament Member Martin Schirdewan slammed the controversial 'Turnberry Deal' on Tuesday - calling the transatlantic trade pact negotiated between the European Commission and Washington "complete nonsense" and "subordination to the US," as the EU races to strike a deal ahead of Trump's July 4 deadline. "Last summer, Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump shook hands, and now this handshake must be turned into an agreement, and the European Parliament must deliver on this matter," Schirdewan said, warning that European interests are being fundamentally compromised under the current framework. The Turnberry Deal is a transatlantic trade agreement brokered by the European Commission President Von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump in 2025, aiming to avert a major trade war by capping tariffs on most European exports to the US at 15 percent in exchange for the EU eliminating duties on many American goods. However, a finalised version of the text has not yet been approved, much to the annoyance of the US President. "Essentially, all tariffs imposed on European goods are punitive tariffs. Meanwhile, American goods are delivered to the European Union duty-free. This is complete nonsense, to be honest. That is why we have been opposed to this act of subjugation from the very beginning," Schirdewan added. The focus of the press conference shifted rapidly toward the Mediterranean following reports that Israeli naval forces intercepted an international aid flotilla bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday. "The government of Benjamin Netanyahu is committing a new act of piracy in disregard of international law by proceeding with the illegal arrest of the flotilla en route to Gaza," said European Parliament Member Manon Aubry. It comes after Israel’s IDF forces intercepted and boarded dozens of vessels from the ‘Global Sumud Flotilla’ in international waters on Monday, detaining hundreds of international activists and drawing widespread condemnation from organisers. "The only ones who should be prosecuted today under international law are those committing genocide in Palestine, are those who are shelling, are bombing Lebanon morning, noon, and night and who are flagrantly violating the ceasefire and not the activists who set out to break the humanitarian embargo," Aubry added. She continued her criticism of the European Union’s diplomatic response to the ongoing crisis in the West Bank. While the EU recently approved a new package of restrictions targeting violent settlers and extremist organisations, left-wing lawmakers dismissed the measures as a superficial effort that pales in comparison to the expansive sanctions levied against other global powers. "This is the reality of the European Union's responsibility when it comes to international law at a time when it is in the process of taking its 21st package of sanctions rightly against Putin's Russia, these are sanctions that concern 4 people. Still no suspension of the association agreement between the European Union and Israel, which is nevertheless the pillar of trade relations between the European Union and Israel that directly finances the genocide in Palestine." EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and key member-state foreign ministers have framed the settler sanctions as a necessary, targeted enforcement mechanism. However, critics have argued that targeting a handful of individuals acts as a political 'smokescreen,' allowing the EU to claim it is taking action while avoiding any real accountability or structural pressure on the Israeli government."
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