Editing Operation Defensive Shield (section)

===European Union reaction===
[[Spain|Spanish]] Foreign Minister [[Josep Piqué]], whose country held the EU Presidency, said that "sanctions against Israel are a possible scenario", and that EU states were discussing the possibility, with some reluctant and others wanting to impose sanctions. [[Belgium|Belgian]] Foreign Minister [[Louis Michel]] also said that the EU could rethink its trade relations with Israel. The [[European Parliament]] passed a non-binding resolution calling for economic sanctions on Israel, an arms embargo on both parties, and for the [[European Union]] to "suspend immediately" its trade and cooperation agreement with Israel. It condemned the "military escalation pursued by the Sharon government" and the "oppression of the Palestinian civilian population by the Israeli army", while also condemning suicide bombings. According to [[Yediot Aharonot]], Israel's refusal to allow Spanish EU officials [[Javier Solana]] and Josep Piqué into the [[Mukataa]] to meet with [[Yasser Arafat]], while allowing American envoy [[Anthony Zinni]] to enter, was the "straw that broke the camel's back". The resolution was passed by a vote of 269 to 208, with 22 abstentions.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}