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Joint Statement on the EU-Israel Association Agreement Review

Zelena akcija/FoE Croatia signed a civil society statement, launched by Human Right Watch, demanding a review and suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

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

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