2024-02-16 16:31:54
78 cross-party MEPs support a call from Ireland and Spain to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The reason for this is the potential violation of human rights obligations by Tel Aviv in the Gaza Strip.
Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez jointly called on Wednesday (February 14) for an “urgent review” of whether Israel is complying with human rights obligations under its trade deal with the EU. They called on the European Commission to propose “appropriate measures” that might be taken if Israel violates the agreement.
The letter, which is available to Euractiv, was distributed to MEPs for signature on Wednesday followingnoon following the two states’ request became known. It also calls for an “urgent review of whether Israel is meeting its obligations, including within the framework of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.” However, the letter did not go into details.
The 78 members of the European Parliament, which only includes a single group leader, the Spanish Social Democrat Iratxe García Pérez, want to ensure the application of Article 2. It states that relations between the EU and Israel “are based on respect for human rights and the principles of democracy.”
They also call on the Commission to propose “appropriate measures” as quickly as possible “to ensure the coherence of the EU’s external action.”
However, the final decision on a possible revision of the Association Agreement lies with the EU member states.
Israel signed an association agreement with the EU in 1995. However, in 2013 it canceled annual talks under this format in protest at an EU decision to distinguish between Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the rest of Israel in all agreements.
“We reiterate our full condemnation of the heinous terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7 and our call for the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining hostages,” the letter continued.
“However, Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself can only be exercised within the framework of international law,” the MPs stressed.
“With more than 28,000 civilians killed – 70 percent of them women and children – and almost two million displaced, Israeli measures cannot be considered to comply with the binding principles of distinction, proportionality and care,” it concludes.
The majority of signatories are Spanish and Irish MEPs. But Belgian, Portuguese and French MPs also signed the letter. Overall, the majority of the political groups are represented in the EU Parliament: the conservative European People’s Party, the Social Democrats (S&D), the liberal Renew Europe group, the EU Left and the Greens.
[Bearbeitet von Zoran Radosavljevic/Kjeld Neubert]
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