114 International Organizations Want European Union To Present Agreements With Israel

Illustration of the European Union. (Wikimedia Commons/Thijs ter Haar)

JAKARTA - 114 international civil society organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, called on the European Union to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel, due to genocide against Palestinians and other abuses.

This was conveyed in a joint statement issued by 114 organizations on Monday, ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers to review the suspension of the Association Agreement with Israel.

The organizations emphasize that a fair review of the Association Agreement should conclude Israel has " seriously violated" human rights clauses.

Claudio Francavilla, deputy office director of the European Union Institute Human Rights Watch, explained in a press statement that all dialogue efforts with Israel have largely failed.

He pointed out pro-Palestinian protests have continued for months across Europe, and people cannot ignore the horrors, crimes and brutality they see every day on social media.

Francavilla said a review of the Association Agreement would mean nothing if it was not followed by concrete steps, including the suspension of trade aspects in the agreement.

He stressed that Israeli human rights organizations have observed that the rate of punishment for criminals in the West Bank does not exceed 3 percent, which suggests Israel's justice system is not seriously cracking down on these offenses.

It is known that the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel, which came into force in 2000, is a legal framework for political dialogue and economic cooperation between the two sides.

Article 2 of the agreement stipulates that the partnership is conditional on "commitment to human rights and international law."

The latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when a Palestinian militant group led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region, leaving 1,200 people dead and another 251 held hostage, according to Israeli calculations, as reported by Reuters.

Israel responded to this by blocking, airstrikes and military operations in the Gaza Strip region.

On January 19, Israel and Palestinian militants agreed to a temporary ceasefire as well as a exchange of hostages and detainees on both sides.

On March 2, Israel again imposed a total blockade in Gaza under the pretext of pressuring Palestinian militant groups to accept ceasefire deals and hostage exchanges. Israel then continued its military operations intensified against the Gaza Strip from March 18, following the end of a temporary ceasefire.

Meanwhile, medical sources in the Gaza Strip confirmed on Monday that the death toll from Palestine since the latest conflict broke out has reached 55,998 people, the majority of women and children.

The same source confirmed that the number of injured victims had reached 131,559 people, with many other victims believed to be under the rubble, could not be reached by ambulances and rescue teams.