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.
- 11.11.11
- Academics for Palestine
- ACEP
- Action for Women
- ActionAid Denmark
- ActionAid France
- ActionAid Ireland
- ActionAid Italy
- ACV-CSC Belgium
- AFPS
- Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
- Ambasada Rog
- Amnesty International
- ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth
- Associação Intervenção Democrática – ID
- Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
- Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
- AVAAZ
- Belgian Academics and Artists for Palestine (BA4P)
- Bloody Sunday Trust
- Broederlijk Delen
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
- Centre for Global Education
- CGT (Confédération générale du Travail)
- Changemakers Lab
- Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
- Christian Aid Ireland
- CIDAC
- CIDSE – international family of Catholic social justice organisations
- CNCD-11.11.11
- Collectif Judéo-Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine (CJACP)
- Comhlámh
- Comité de Solidariedade com a Palestina
- Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe
- Cospe
- CRID
- Culture de Palestine
- Danes je nov dan
- De-Colonizer
- Defence for Children International
- Diakonia
- DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture
- Društvo Humanitas – center za globalno učenje in sodelovanje
- Dutch Scholars for Palestine
- EDUCO
- Ekō
- Entraide et Fraternité
- Equal Legal Aid
- Eurocadres
- EuroMed Rights
- European Coordination of Committees and Association for Palestine – ECCP
- European Jews for Palestine
- European Middle East Project (EuMEP)
- European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
- 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
- Fundación Mundubat
- Gibanje za pravice Palestincev
- Hellenic League for Human Rights
- Human Rights Watch
- Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International
- HUSOME
- Institute 8th of March
- International Federation for Human Rights – FIDH
- International Media Support
- International Rehabilitation Council of Torture Victims (IRCT)
- Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Irish Anti War Movement
- Irish Council for Civil Liberties
- Israelitas Pela Palestina (Portugal)
- Jewish Call for Peace
- Judeus pela Paz e Justiça
- Kairos Ireland
- La Cimade
- La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo
- LAB Sindikatua Basque Country
- Mouvement de la paix france
- MPPM – Movimento pelos Direitos do Povo Palestino e pela Paz no Médio Oriente
- My Voice, My Choice
- NWRG (New Wepons 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
- PIC – Legal Center for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
- Plan International EU Liaison Office
- Plataforma por Empresas Responsables
- Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
- Polish-Palestinian Justice Initiative KAKTUS
- Proja institute
- 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
- The European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
- The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
- The Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden
- The Rights Forum
- Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union/ Aontas Mac Léinn Choláiste na Tríonóide
- UGT SPAIN
- União dos Sindicatos do Algarve/CGTP-IN
- Union juive française pour la paix
- Union syndicale Solidaires
- United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
- Viva Salud
- Vrede vzw (Belgium)
- Vredesactie
- World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
- Yoga and Sport With Refugees
- Zavod 3MUHE
