Foreign Ministry Challenges Sanctions Database, Cites Efforts to Protect Israeli Trade

Israel’s Foreign Ministry disputed a sanctions database on Friday, saying it did not accurately reflect restrictions against Israel or efforts to prevent them. The ministry said it had worked for a year and a half to avert measures in the European Union and elsewhere. Unnamed diplomatic officials said support from Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic helped avert a threat to Israel’s EU trade agreement, while research cooperation and aviation arrangements were preserved; they warned that such protection was not guaranteed. The Jewish People Policy Institute, which maintains the database, says its figures count measures rather than their severity.