Joint Statement on the EU-Israel Association Agreement Review

The 187 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. Act Church of Sweden
4. Action for Women
5. ActionAid Denmark
6. ActionAid France
7. ActionAid Ireland
8. ActionAid Italy
9. ACV-CSC Belgium
10. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
11. Ambasada Rog
12. Amigas de la Tierra España
13. Amnesty International
14. ARSIS - Association for the Social Support of Youth
15. Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto
16. Ashar Gan ETS
17. Associação Intervenção Democrática - ID
18. Associação para a Cooperação Entre os Povos (ACEP)
19. Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
20. Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
21. Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
22. ATTAC Hungary
23. AVAAZ
24. Avocats Sans Frontières
25. Belgian Academics and Artists for Palestine (BA4P)
26. Bloody Sunday Trust
27. Broederlijk Delen
28. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
29. Centre de Recherche et d’Informations pour le Développement (CRID)
30. Centre for Global Education
31. CESP-Sindicato dos Trabalhadores do Comércio, Escritórios e Serviços de Portugal
32. CGT (Confédération générale du Travail)
33. Changemakers Lab
34. Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
35. Christian Aid Ireland
36. CIDAC
37. CIDSE - international family of Catholic social justice organisations
38. CISS - Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud
39. CIVICUS
40. CNCD-11.11.11
41. Collectif Judéo-Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine (CJACP)
42. Comhlámh
43. Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) – Spain
44. Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe
45. Comité de Solidariedade com a Palestina
46. Comunità Impegno Servizio Volontariato (CISV)
47. Confédération paysanne
48. Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL)
49. Consorzio delle Ong Piemontesi ETS
50. COPE - Cooperazione Paesi Emergenti
51. Cospe
52. Culture de Palestine
53. Danes je nov dan
54. De-Colonizer
55. Debt for climate Finland
56. Defence for Children International
57. Diakonia
58. DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture
59. Društvo Humanitas - center za globalno učenje in sodelovanje
60. Dutch Scholars for Palestine
61. EDUCO
62. Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
63. Ekō
64. Entraide et Fraternité
65. Equal Legal Aid
66. Eurocadres
67. Eurochild
68. EuroMed Rights
69. European Coordination of Committees and Association for Palestine - ECCP
70. European Coordination Via Campesina
71. European Jews for Palestine
72. European Middle East Project (EuMEP)
73. European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
74. Federação Nacional de Sindicatos de Trabalhadores em funções Públicas e Sociais (FNSTFPS)
75. Fédération Artisans du Monde
76. Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
77. FENPROF - Federação Nacional dos Professores
78. FGTB-ABVV
79. Finnish Arab Friendsip Society
80. Finnish Development NGOs - Fingo
81. Finnwatch ry
82. FORUM MENSCHENRECHTE
83. Free Press Unlimited
84. Friends of the Earth Europe
85. Friends of the Earth Ireland
86. Fundación Mundubat
87. Gaza Komitee Berlin
88. Gibanje za pravice Palestincev
89. Global Witness
90. Hellenic League for Human Rights
91. HuBB - Humans Before Borders
92. Human Rights Watch
93. Humanity & Inclusion - Handicap International
94. HUSOME
95. Institute 8th of March
96. International Federation for Human Rights - FIDH
97. International Media Support
98. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) Germany
99. International Rehabilitation Council of Torture Victims (IRCT)
100. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
101. Irish Anti War Movement
102. Irish Congress of Trade Unions
103. Irish Council for Civil Liberties
104. Israelitas Pela Palestina (Portugal)
105. IZKA (Initiative for a critical academy)
106. Jewish Call for Peace
107. Judeus pela Paz e Justiça
108. Kairos Ireland
109. Kansainvälinen solidaarisuustyö ry (International Solidarity Work ry)
110. La Cimade
111. La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo
112. LAB Sindikatua Basque Country
113. Medici per la Pace
114. MigAct z.s.
115. Mluvme o tom
116. Mouvement de la paix france
117. MPPM - Movimento pelos Direitos do Povo Palestino e pela Paz no Médio Oriente
118. My Voice, My Choice
119. Nahlieli: Jews for Justice in Palestine (Finland)
120. Naturefriends Greece
121. Ne naším jménem
122. NEmlcme
123. Nomada Association
124. NWRG (New Weapons Research Group) odv
125. Olof Palme International Center
126. OTC-Organizaçaõ dos Trabalhadores Científicos
127. OVCA - society for awareness raising and protection - center of antidiscrimination
128. Oxfam Ireland
129. Parents for Peace
130. PAX
131. Pax Christi International
132. Pax Christi Vlaanderen (Belgium)
133. Peace Institute
134. People in Need
135. PIC - Legal Center for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
136. Plan International EU Liaison Office
137. Plataforma por Empresas Responsables
138. Plataforma Portuguesa das Organizações Não Governamentais para o Desenvolvimento (Portuguese Platform of Development NGOs)
139. Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
140. Polish-Palestinian Justice Initiative KAKTUS
141. Progetto Sud ETS
142. Proja institute
143. PSICOLOGI NEL MONDO - TORINO ODV ETS
144. Red Solidaria Contra la Ocupación de Palestina
145. Reporters Without Borders
146. Research and Universities for Palestine Network-Italy
147. Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance
148. Samos Volunteers
149. SB OVERSEAS - SOUTIEN BELGE OUTRE-FRONTIERES
150. SETEM Catalunya
151. Sindicato dos Professores da Região Centro
152. Sindikat Mladi plus (Trade Union Youth Plus)
153. Slovene Philanthropy, Association for the Promotion of Volunteering
154. SOLIDAR
155. Solsoc
156. SPZS - Sindicato dos Professores da Zona Sul
157. Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (Svenska Freds)
158. Technology for Life
159. Terre des Hommes Germany
160. Terre des Hommes Italia
161. The European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
162. The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
163. The Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden
164. The Rights Forum
165. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
166. TID TIL FRED - aktiv mod krig
167. Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union/ Aontas Mac Léinn Choláiste na Tríonóide
168. União dos Sindicatos do Algarve/CGTP-IN
169. Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) Spain
170. Union juive française pour la paix
171. Union syndicale Solidaires
172. United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
173. Viva Salud
174. Voicify - European Forum for Youth with Lived Migration Experiences
175. Vrede vzw (Belgium)
176. Vredesactie
177. Women For Peace - Finland
178. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Austria
179. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Denmark
180. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Finland
181. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Germany
182. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Italy
183. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Spain
184. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
185. Yoga and Sport With Refugees
186. Zavod 3MUHE
187. Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia

*Preneseno s web stranice organizacije Human Rights Watch.