The EU should suspend trade agreement with Israel

The undersigned human rights and humanitarian organizations and trade unions urge the EU to ensure that the ongoing review of Israel’s compliance with article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement be thorough, comprehensive, and credible.

Article 2 establishes that respect for human rights and democratic principles constitutes an “essential element” of the agreement. Amid overwhelming evidence of Israel’s atrocity crimes and other egregious human rights abuses against Palestinians throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), a credible review can only reach one conclusion: that Israel is in severe non-compliance with article 2.

In light of this, we call on the European Commission and all EU Member States to support meaningful and concrete measures, including the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, at least in part.

We are appalled that it took the EU so long to launch this review, despite a request by Spain and Ireland already in February 2024, international court rulings, arrest warrants issued by International Criminal Court, and numerous reports by UN bodies, independent experts, prominent NGOs and scholars exposing Israel’s very serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law throughout the OPT, including war crimes, crimes against humanity – including forced displacement, apartheid and extermination – and genocide.

Some of these findings were presented to EU foreign ministers in November 2024; but instead of moving towards the suspension of the agreement and taking other appropriate measures, the ministers only agreed to convene a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council, in which they called for a ceasefire, humanitarian aid at scale, full respect for IHL, and a halting of Israel’s illegal settlement policy. Israeli authorities blatantly did the exact opposite of all that, once again to no consequence for EU-Israel bilateral relations – until now.

The context in which this review is being conducted is dramatic and requires urgent and effective action. For months, Israel has completely blocked aid from entering the occupied Gaza Strip, and then tried to replace the UN-led humanitarian aid system in Gaza with military-led distribution hubs, where high numbers of killings of civilians seeking aid have been recorded. This is in breach of Israel’s obligations under IHL as an occupying power, and of three binding rulings issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January, March and May 2024, ordering Israeli authorities to allow the unhindered provision of urgently needed humanitarian aid at scale throughout Gaza to prevent a genocide.

This, along with the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza targeting life-sustaining infrastructures, healthcare facilities, shelters, and killing and maiming thousands of civilians since a fragile ceasefire was broken, has continued to cause unspeakable suffering to the illegally besieged Palestinians in Gaza.

As parties to the Genocide Convention, all EU member states have the obligation to “employ all means reasonably available to them” to prevent a genocide. That obligation arises not when a definitive judicial determination is made, but as soon as a state learns, or should normally have learned, of a serious risk that genocide may be committed. The International Court of Justice provided clear guidance in that regard. EU action is long overdue.

But while Gaza might have been the trigger for launching the review of article 2 of the Association Agreement, the scope of the review is broader, concerning Israel’s respect for “human rights and democratic principles”. We note, in that regard, the landmark July 2024 advisory opinion by the ICJ, which found Israel’s occupation of the OPT to be illegal, in breach of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, and characterised by other serious violations, including systematic discrimination and racial segregation, as well as unlawful violence and displacement, demolitions, illegal settlements expansion and land seizure. In September, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution largely endorsing that ruling, and formulating a series of calls that have been ignored by Israeli authorities. Furthermore, reports from human rights groups and UN investigations also highlight torture against Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, leading to multiple deaths.

In this context, a weak or inconclusive review of Israel’s compliance with article 2, and/or failure by the Commission and Council to suspend at least part of the Association Agreement, would ultimately destroy what’s left of the EU’s credibility – and, most importantly, it would further embolden Israeli authorities to continue their atrocity crimes and other egregious violations against the Palestinians in total impunity.

The EU must act now, as it long should have.

1. 11.11.11
2. Academics for Palestine
3. Action for Women
4. ActionAid Denmark
5. ActionAid France
6. ActionAid Ireland
7. ActionAid Italy
8. AFPS
9. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
10. Ambasada Rog
11. Amnesty International
12. ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth
13. Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
14. Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
15. AVAAZ
16. Belgian Academics and Artists for Palestine (BA4P)
17. Bloody Sunday Trust
18. Broederlijk Delen
19. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
20. Centre for Global Education
21. CGT (Confédération générale du Travail)
22. Changemakers Lab
23. Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
24. Christian Aid Ireland
25. CIDAC
26. CIDSE – international family of Catholic social justice organisations
27. CNCD-11.11.11
28. Collectif Judéo-Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine (CJACP)
29. Comhlámh
30. Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe
31. Cospe
32. CRID
33. Culture de Palestine
34. Danes je nov dan
35. De-Colonizer
36. Defence for Children International
37. Diakonia
38. DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture
39. Društvo Humanitas – center za globalno učenje in sodelovanje
40. Dutch Scholars for Palestine
41. Ekō
42. Entraide et Fraternité
43. Equal Legal Aid
44. Eurocadres
45. EuroMed Rights
46. European Coordination of Committees and Association for Palestine – ECCP
47. European Jews for Palestine
48. European Middle East Project (EuMEP)
49. European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
50. Fédération Artisans du Monde
51. Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
52. FGTB-ABVV
53. Finnish Arab Friendsip Society
54. Finnish Development NGOs – Fingo
55. Finnwatch ry
56. Fundación Mundubat
57. Gibanje za pravice Palestincev
58. Hellenic League for Human Rights
59. Human Rights Watch
60. Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International
61. HUSOME
62. Institute 8th of March
63. International Federation for Human Rights – FIDH
64. International Media Support
65. International Rehabilitation Council of Torture Victims (IRCT)
66. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
67. Irish Anti War Movement
68. Irish Council for Civil Liberties
69. Jewish Call for Peace
70. Kairos Ireland
71. La Cimade
72. La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo
73. LAB Sindikatua Basque Country
74. Mouvement de la paix france
75. MPPM – Movimento pelos Direitos do Povo Palestino e pela Paz no Médio Oriente
76. My Voice, My Choice
77. NWRG (New Wepons Research Group) odv
78. Olof Palme International Center
79. OVCA – society for awareness raising and protection – center of antidiscrimination
80. Oxfam Ireland
81. Parents for Peace
82. PAX
83. Pax Christi International
84. Pax Christi Vlaanderen (Belgium)
85. Peace Institute
86. PIC – Legal Center for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
87. Plan International EU Liaison Office
88. Plataforma por Empresas Responsables
89. Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
90. Polish-Palestinian Justice Initiative KAKTUS
91. Proja institute
92. Research and Universities for Palestine Network-Italy
93. Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance
94. Samos Volunteers
95. SB OVERSEAS – SOUTIEN BELGE OUTRE-FRONTIERES
96. SETEM Catalunya
97. Sindikat Mladi plus (Trade Union Youth Plus)
98. Slovene Philanthropy, Association for the Promotion of Volunteering
99. SOLIDAR
100. Solsoc
101. The European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
102. The Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden
103. The Rights Forum
104. Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union/ Aontas Mac Léinn Choláiste na Tríonóide
105. UGT SPAIN
106. Union juive française pour la paix
107. Union syndicale Solidaires
108. United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
109. Viva Salud
110. Vrede vzw (Belgium)
111. Vredesactie
112. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
113. Yoga and Sport With Refugees
114. Zavod 3MUHE