The S&D Group deeply regrets today’s failure of the Foreign Affairs Council to move forward with the suspension of the EU–Israel Association Agreement. While no vote on the matter was ultimately put on the agenda, this reflected the absence of a qualified majority among member states to support such a decision. Yet the suspension is a necessary and long-overdue step in response to the clear and sustained breach of Article 2 of the agreement, which enshrines respect for human rights and democratic principles as an essential condition of the partnership.
For months, the S&D Group has been calling for the suspension of the agreement in light of grave and continuous violations of international and humanitarian law by Israel – from the mass killings of civilians and the weaponisation of humanitarian aid in Gaza, to indiscriminate attacks in Lebanon, as well as the recent Knesset vote advancing the reintroduction of the death penalty targeting Palestinians.
S&D vice-president for foreign affairs, Yannis Maniatis, said:
“Today’s outcome is yet again deeply disappointing. The fact that no vote was held, due to the lack of a qualified majority among member states, underlines the continued unwillingness of the Council to take decisive action. EU member states can no longer turn a blind eye to the systematic violations committed by Netanyahu’s government and the collapse of respect for international law. With over 70,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, ongoing policies of de facto annexation in the West Bank, hundreds of civilians killed in Lebanon, and the recent decision by Netanyahu’s coalition to advance the reintroduction of the death penalty targeting Palestinians, the scale and gravity of the violations are clear. The failure to suspend the Agreement undermines the credibility of the European Union and weakens its claim to stand for human rights and international law.”
S&D vice-president for international trade, Kathleen Van Brempt, said:
“By choosing not to act, the Council and Commission are making a choice. And it is the wrong one. The absence of a qualified majority – and consequently of a vote – does not absolve EU member states of their responsibility to act. For months, the Netanyahu government has crossed red lines and systematically targeted civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. The failure by both the European Commission and the EU member states to act appropriately according to international law, human rights and its own values and beliefs, is making Europe complicit in the war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israel.
“By leaving the EU-Israel Association Agreement untouched, the European Union is sending a signal that human rights clauses can be ignored without consequence. It further erodes international law and destroys what remains of Europe’s credibility as a defender of human rights. We will continue to call for the suspension of the Agreement, and for the EU to take meaningful measures to ensure accountability.”
