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.
- 11.11.11
- Academics for Palestine
- Act Church of Sweden
- Action for Women
- ActionAid Denmark
- ActionAid France
- ActionAid Ireland
- ActionAid Italy
- ACV-CSC Belgium
- Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
- Ambasada Rog
- Amigas de la Tierra España
- Amnesty International
- ARSIS - Association for the Social Support of Youth
- Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto
- Ashar Gan ETS
- Associação Intervenção Democrática - ID
- Associação para a Cooperação Entre os Povos (ACEP)
- Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
- Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
- Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
- ATTAC Hungary
- AVAAZ
- Avocats Sans Frontières
- Belgian Academics and Artists for Palestine (BA4P)
- Bloody Sunday Trust
- Broederlijk Delen
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
- Centre de Recherche et d’Informations pour le Développement (CRID)
- Centre for Global Education
- CESP-Sindicato dos Trabalhadores do Comércio, Escritórios e Serviços de Portugal
- CGT (Confédération générale du Travail)
- Changemakers Lab
- Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
- Christian Aid Ireland
- CIDAC
- CIDSE - international family of Catholic social justice organisations
- CISS - Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud
- CIVICUS
- CNCD-11.11.11
- Collectif Judéo-Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine (CJACP)
- Comhlámh
- Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) – Spain
- Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe
- Comité de Solidariedade com a Palestina
- Comunità Impegno Servizio Volontariato (CISV)
- Confédération paysanne
- Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL)
- Consorzio delle Ong Piemontesi ETS
- COPE - Cooperazione Paesi Emergenti
- Cospe
- Culture de Palestine
- Danes je nov dan
- De-Colonizer
- Debt for climate Finland
- Defence for Children International
- Diakonia
- DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture
- Društvo Humanitas - center za globalno učenje in sodelovanje
- Dutch Scholars for Palestine
- EDUCO
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
- Ekō
- Entraide et Fraternité
- Equal Legal Aid
- Eurocadres
- Eurochild
- EuroMed Rights
- European Coordination of Committees and Association for Palestine - ECCP
- European Coordination Via Campesina
- European Jews for Palestine
- European Middle East Project (EuMEP)
- European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
- Federação Nacional de Sindicatos de Trabalhadores em funções Públicas e Sociais (FNSTFPS)
- Fédération Artisans du Monde
- Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
- FENPROF - Federação Nacional dos Professores
- FGTB-ABVV
- Finnish Arab Friendsip Society
- Finnish Development NGOs - Fingo
- Finnwatch ry
- FORUM MENSCHENRECHTE
- Free Press Unlimited
- Friends of the Earth Europe
- Friends of the Earth Ireland
- Fundación Mundubat
- Gaza Komitee Berlin
- Gibanje za pravice Palestincev
- Global Witness
- Hellenic League for Human Rights
- HuBB - Humans Before Borders
- Human Rights Watch
- Humanity & Inclusion - Handicap International
- HUSOME
- Institute 8th of March
- International Federation for Human Rights - FIDH
- International Media Support
- International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) Germany
- International Rehabilitation Council of Torture Victims (IRCT)
- Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Irish Anti War Movement
- Irish Congress of Trade Unions
- Irish Council for Civil Liberties
- Israelitas Pela Palestina (Portugal)
- IZKA (Initiative for a critical academy)
- Jewish Call for Peace
- Judeus pela Paz e Justiça
- Kairos Ireland
- Kansainvälinen solidaarisuustyö ry (International Solidarity Work ry)
- La Cimade
- La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo
- LAB Sindikatua Basque Country
- Medici per la Pace
- MigAct z.s.
- Mluvme o tom
- Mouvement de la paix france
- MPPM - Movimento pelos Direitos do Povo Palestino e pela Paz no Médio Oriente
- My Voice, My Choice
- Nahlieli: Jews for Justice in Palestine (Finland)
- Naturefriends Greece
- Ne naším jménem
- NEmlcme
- Nomada Association
- NWRG (New Weapons Research Group) odv
- Olof Palme International Center
- OTC-Organizaçaõ dos Trabalhadores Científicos
- OVCA - society for awareness raising and protection - center of antidiscrimination
- Oxfam Ireland
- Parents for Peace
- PAX
- Pax Christi International
- Pax Christi Vlaanderen (Belgium)
- Peace Institute
- People in Need
- PIC - Legal Center for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
- Plan International EU Liaison Office
- Plataforma por Empresas Responsables
- Plataforma Portuguesa das Organizações Não Governamentais para o Desenvolvimento (Portuguese Platform of Development NGOs)
- Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
- Polish-Palestinian Justice Initiative KAKTUS
- Progetto Sud ETS
- Proja institute
- PSICOLOGI NEL MONDO - TORINO ODV ETS
- Red Solidaria Contra la Ocupación de Palestina
- Reporters Without Borders
- Research and Universities for Palestine Network-Italy
- Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance
- Samos Volunteers
- SB OVERSEAS - SOUTIEN BELGE OUTRE-FRONTIERES
- SETEM Catalunya
- Sindicato dos Professores da Região Centro
- Sindikat Mladi plus (Trade Union Youth Plus)
- Slovene Philanthropy, Association for the Promotion of Volunteering
- SOLIDAR
- Solsoc
- SPZS - Sindicato dos Professores da Zona Sul
- Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (Svenska Freds)
- Technology for Life
- Terre des Hommes Germany
- Terre des Hommes Italia
- The European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
- The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
- The Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden
- The Rights Forum
- The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
- TID TIL FRED - aktiv mod krig
- Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union/ Aontas Mac Léinn Choláiste na Tríonóide
- União dos Sindicatos do Algarve/CGTP-IN
- Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) Spain
- Union juive française pour la paix
- Union syndicale Solidaires
- United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
- Viva Salud
- Voicify - European Forum for Youth with Lived Migration Experiences
- Vrede vzw (Belgium)
- Vredesactie
- Women For Peace - Finland
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Austria
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Denmark
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Finland
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Germany
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Italy
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Spain
- World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
- Yoga and Sport With Refugees
- Zavod 3MUHE
- Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia
*Preneseno s web stranice organizacije Human Rights Watch.