LONDON: Amnesty International condemned the EU for failing to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement amid accusations of genocide in Gaza and ongoing violations by settlers against Palestinians.
The Foreign Affairs Council did not adopt any options to restrict trade with illegal Israeli settlements that were presented on Monday by the European Commission. The EU-Israel Association Agreement has shaped the bloc’s ties with Israel since 2000, governing political dialogue, scientific cooperation, and free trade.
Ireland, which has held the presidency of the Council of the EU since early July, was unable to influence EU member states to pursue accountability for Israel’s violations and suspend trade with settlements, despite Dublin being a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Palestine and Lebanon.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns said: “It’s beyond shameful that a majority of EU member states, led by Germany and Italy, continue to block the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Countries committed to uphold international law must not remain silent while others actively undermine the very principles they claim to defend.”
They called on Ireland to lead efforts to protect human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, referring to the country’s experience with colonization, famine, and conflict, and role in international efforts to end apartheid in South Africa.
“If the EU will not act together, member states must act individually and unilaterally suspend all forms of cooperation with Israel that may contribute to its grave violations of international law,” Guevara-Rosas said in a statement.
Amnesty International urged EU members to impose an arms and surveillance equipment embargo on Israel and ban trade and investment in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“The EU must stop allowing Israel to face no meaningful consequences for its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza ... (and) its unlawful occupation of the Palestinian territory, and war crimes in Lebanon,” Guevara-Rosas added.
Israel’s military control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip since 1967 is considered illegal and condemned by the majority of UN members. International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion of July 2024 has affirmed that the establishment, expansion and maintenance of Israeli settlements is a breach of international law.
Several international organizations have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, where the regime has killed over 74,000 people. Since late 2023, main European cities have seen pro-Palestinian marches increasingly calling on politicians to impose an EU-wide ban on trade with settlements and cease exporting arms to Israel.
In October, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Israel’s settlements threaten peace in the region and the establishment of Palestinian statehood, which Paris recognized last year.
