Brussels: A total of 114 civil society organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have urged the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel. The demand comes as the EU External Action Service is reviewing the continuation of this agreement under Article 2, which ties the agreement to adherence to human rights and international law.
According to Anadolu Agency, this review marks the initial step in a process that could potentially lead to the suspension of the agreement. The outcome of this review is set to be discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting today. The 114 NGOs, in a joint statement issued before the meeting, stated that a credible review would inevitably find that Israel has failed to meet the human rights conditions, prompting them to call on the EU to suspend the agreement.
Past EU-Israel Association Council meetings have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, humanitarian access, and an end to unlawful practices. However, a top Human Rights Watch official highlighted that Tel Aviv has acted contrary to these calls. Claudio Francavilla, the group's associate EU director, told Anadolu that dialogue attempts have failed, leading to frustration and a push for EU member states to take action.
Francavilla noted ongoing protests across Europe in support of Palestine. These protests, he said, are driven by accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity. He criticized the operations of the US-Israel-led Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which allegedly targeted Palestinians at aid distribution centers, describing the situation as shocking and emphasizing the pressure on governments to act.
The EU's response to the situation in Gaza has been criticized for double standards, especially when compared to its actions against Russia. Francavilla pointed out that the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, demonstrating its highest standard of response, while its actions regarding Gaza reflect the lowest standard, leading to well-grounded accusations of double standards in foreign policy.
Francavilla argued that the EU has not taken significant action against Israel in official texts approved by its 27 member states. He emphasized the lack of condemnation of Israel's actions since the start of the assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, and warned that without concrete measures like suspending the trade aspects of the Association Agreement, the review process would be meaningless.
He also stressed that European governments have been forced to act due to the protests in support of Palestine but lamented that these actions come too late for the estimated 60,000 lives lost in Gaza. Francavilla highlighted that while the EU has sanctioned settlers over illegal activities in the West Bank, these actions do not reflect the state-supported nature of such activities.
He concluded by emphasizing that the human rights clause of the agreement also concerns the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Lebanon, and warned against viewing any improvement in humanitarian aid to Gaza as a complete solution. Francavilla reiterated that Israel practices apartheid across all occupied Palestinian territories and argued that EU governments are obligated to use all available tools to prevent genocide in Gaza. He criticized the belief held by some EU countries that merely threatening to suspend the agreement would suffice.