In Brussels, a review of the association agreement between the EU and Israel is underway, a revision that could lead to a suspension, albeit partial, of the agreement. A majority of the governments of the block asked the EU’s external service last month to proceed with an analysis on a possible violation of article 2 of the agreement, which prescribes that relations must be based “on respect for human rights and democratic principles”.
And most likely the response of the analysis will be that in Gaza, but also in the West Bank, human rights have been repeatedly violated, which will make it difficult for the blockage not to proceed with a suspension of the agreement. “Looking at television and reading the articles it is not difficult to anticipate what the conclusions that can be achieved on the action of the Israeli army are”, said the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, in an interview with some brussels newspapers including the European morning.
The situation in Gaza “is completely unacceptable”, and “it is clear that the action of the Israeli army is no longer proportionate to the legitimate right to fight Hamas”, as well as the blocking of humanitarian aid “is unacceptable”, continued the Portuguese.
The accusations of EU services
And a previous report, always conducted by the EU external service, had already given a rather severe judgment on the conduct of the Tel Aviv army already at the end of 2024. A cell for human rights of the EU external service had already examined the actions of Israel on 11 November 2024, in an internal investigation of 35 pages, strictly supervised, ordered by the then EU head of the foreign affairs, Josep Borrell.
That text is now leaked and has been made public by the newspaper specialized in European information EU Observer. The document states that Israel has “violated the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law” killing tens of thousands of women and children.
The text also focuses on the finger against the use of “hunger as a method of war, which constitutes an atrocious crime”, using authoritative sources, such as the conclusions of the office of the UNIFICATION OF THE United Nations for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the judgments of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
And things, from November 2024 to today, have worsened in the Gaza strip, and therefore it seems impossible that now the new analysis in progress can come to the conclusion that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is acting in line with humanitarian and international law.
Accusations of inaction
“The tests are so overwhelming that the EU would take around if it said that Israel respects article 2 or war laws,” said Claudio Francavilla of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The leaked document “makes it abundantly clear that the EU has been recognized for some time that abuses had been verified, and yet it has avoided taking actions that are obliged by its own rules”, has accused Halylyer of the British Think Tank, the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi).
“The most disturbing aspect of this document is that the EU officials, for a long time, have always been well aware of various abuses, violations and even probable war crimes, but have completely omitted to take measures to face them,” he added.
Ball to the EU Council
The results of the revision of the agreement should be presented to the governments of the twenty -seven to the Foreign Affairs Council of 23 June, which should discuss the next stages. A suspension of the entire association agreement with Israel would require unanimity, which will never be possible, but to suspend only the commercial part of the agreement a qualified majority would be enough. There were 17 out of 27 countries that asked for the revision, and therefore they would potentially vote in favor of suspension.
Among them, however, there were neither Italy nor Germany, two nations whose vote is heavy in the weighty system of the Council, and which could end up blocking a possible action. Europe is the main commercial partner of Israel, and the agreement makes possible an exchange of around 15 billion euros per year of arms, wine, cosmetics and other products at preferential conditions. Suspending the part relating to the privileges on trade could cost about one billion per year in Tel Aviv, according to the calculations of groups of civil society.
