Brussels: A group of 350 former European ministers, ambassadors, and senior officials has urged the European Union to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, accusing Tel Aviv of breaching human rights obligations in Palestinian territories.

According to Anadolu Agency, the signatories issued a joint statement on Wednesday, highlighting that while global attention is diverted, the Israeli government has escalated its 'illegal occupation policy' and human rights violations to an intolerable level. They emphasized that violence persists despite a nominal ceasefire and warned that planned settlement expansion in the E1 corridor, an area connecting East Jerusalem to Ma'ale Adumim, would effectively split the West Bank and undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

The group also expressed concerns over legislation passed by the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, on March 30, which allegedly introduces the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners while exempting Jewish Israelis. They described this legislation as reflective of an apartheid state acting without legal restraints.

The signatories argue that Israel is in breach of Article 2 of the EU-Israel agreement, which mandates respect for human rights as a condition of cooperation. They stated that the current Israeli government violates these core EU principles with respect to Palestinians, for whose welfare it remains legally and morally responsible as the occupying power.

The statement calls for the EU to suspend the agreement fully or partially, halt trade with settlements, suspend military cooperation, and expand sanctions and visa bans on individuals involved in repression. It further accused the EU of inconsistency, drawing a comparison between its approach to Israel and its response to Russia, suggesting that this disparity has created perceptions of 'double standards.'

Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers in the West Bank have reportedly killed at least 1,133 Palestinians, wounded about 11,700 others, and led to nearly 22,000 arrests, according to Palestinian figures. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark opinion declaring Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.