Archiv: EU-Israel Association Agreement


25.12.2024 - 16:19 [ Médecins Sans Frontières ]

Gaza death trap: MSF report exposes Israel’s campaign of total destruction

(December 19, 2024)

„What our medical teams have witnessed on the ground throughout this conflict is consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organizations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza,” Lockyear said. (…)

MSF calls on states, particularly Israel’s closest allies, to end their unconditional support for Israel and fulfill their obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza. Nearly a year ago, on January 26, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” Israel has taken no meaningful action to comply with the court order. Instead, Israeli authorities continue to actively block MSF and other humanitarian organizations from providing lifesaving assistance to people trapped under siege and bombardment.

25.12.2024 - 16:12 [ Human Rights Watch ]

Extermination and Acts of Genocide

(December 19, 2024)

To All States

– Take all measures within their power to prevent genocide by Israeli authorities in Gaza by pressuring Israel to lift the blockade and comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice, including by discontinuing any military assistance and arms sales or transfers, imposing targeted sanctions, and reviewing bilateral deals and diplomatic relations.

– Publicly condemn war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and the genocide convention committed by the Israeli authorities, and urge them to immediately halt those violations and crimes and cooperate with international judicial bodies, investigative mechanisms, and UN special procedures.

– Increase public and private pressure on the Israeli government to comply with international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities, and ensure the entry and safe distribution at scale throughout Gaza of adequate aid and provision of basic services.

– Demand that Israel implement UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Israel and Palestine, including all provisions relating to humanitarian aid delivery to the residents of Gaza and compliance with international humanitarian law.

– Review and possibly suspend bilateral agreements with Israel, such as the EU-Israel Association Agreement, whose review has been proposed by the Spanish and Irish governments.

– End all forms of support for and complicity in the atrocities being carried out by Israel, including suspending military assistance and arms transfers to the Israeli government so long as its forces commit serious rights abuses and war crimes against Palestinian civilians with impunity.

– Publicly support the ICJ’s work and its decisions as an independent judicial institution and press Israel to comply with the ICJ’s binding orders.

– Publicly support the work of the International Criminal Court across all situations under its jurisdiction, including the ongoing Palestine investigation, and render any assistance necessary to give effect to orders of the Court. Uphold the court’s independence and publicly condemn efforts to intimidate or interfere with its work, officials, and those cooperating with the institution.

– Support foreign domestic investigations and prosecutions under the principle of universal jurisdiction, as relevant and appropriate, of those credibly implicated in serious crimes in Gaza.

– The United States should immediately reverse its decisions to suspend funding to UNRWA and state clearly the intention to continue to fund the agency, and all states should urge Israeli authorities to reverse Israel‘s decisions to bar UNRWA from operating within Israel.

– Fund repairs of damaged and destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure, and press Israel to urgently allow the infrastructure to be repaired.

– Support the creation of an international mechanism to address reparation for Palestinians and an international register of damages.

– Call on Israeli authorities to allow water filtration systems, water tanks, and other materials needed to repair water infrastructure and to improve the water supply into Gaza.

– Support the United Nations to establish a plan that would ensure Palestinians have access to water at least equal to what Israel grants Israeli citizens, and pressure Israel to facilitate and contribute to the plan.

– Address long-standing impunity by Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups for serious crimes under international law.

To the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation

– Request access to Gaza in order to monitor and report publicly on the human rights situation regarding access to water and sanitation, including damage and destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure; obstruction of repairs and targeting of repair workers; restrictions on the entry of fuel; and the human rights impacts stemming from these actions.

To the International Criminal Court Prosecutor

– Investigate Israeli authorities’ actions and policies that have deprived the civilian population of Gaza of water, including as war crimes, as the crime against humanity of extermination, and as genocide.

20.12.2024 - 00:25 [ Médecins Sans Frontières ]

Gaza death trap: MSF report exposes Israel’s campaign of total destruction

MSF calls on states, particularly Israel’s closest allies, to end their unconditional support for Israel and fulfill their obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza. Nearly a year ago, on January 26, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” Israel has taken no meaningful action to comply with the court order. Instead, Israeli authorities continue to actively block MSF and other humanitarian organizations from providing lifesaving assistance to people trapped under siege and bombardment.

19.12.2024 - 23:50 [ Palestune Chronicle ]

‘Anyone who Enters is Shot’ – Israeli Army Officers Reveal ‘Kill Zone’ in Gaza

Israeli army officers have revealed that an area along the Netzarim corridor in the Gaza Strip was a designated “kill zone” where “anyone who enters is shot,” the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Wednesday.

A commander in Division 252 said that “forces in the field call it ‘the line of dead bodies,” because “after shootings, bodies are not collected, attracting packs of dogs who come to eat them.”

“In Gaza, people know that wherever you see these dogs, that’s where you must not go,” the commander is quoted as saying.

19.12.2024 - 21:24 [ Human Rights Watch ]

Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water

To All States

– Take all measures within their power to prevent genocide by Israeli authorities in Gaza by pressuring Israel to lift the blockade and comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice, including by discontinuing any military assistance and arms sales or transfers, imposing targeted sanctions, and reviewing bilateral deals and diplomatic relations.

– Publicly condemn war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and the genocide convention committed by the Israeli authorities, and urge them to immediately halt those violations and crimes and cooperate with international judicial bodies, investigative mechanisms, and UN special procedures.

– Increase public and private pressure on the Israeli government to comply with international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities, and ensure the entry and safe distribution at scale throughout Gaza of adequate aid and provision of basic services.

– Demand that Israel implement UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Israel and Palestine, including all provisions relating to humanitarian aid delivery to the residents of Gaza and compliance with international humanitarian law.

– Review and possibly suspend bilateral agreements with Israel, such as the EU-Israel Association Agreement, whose review has been proposed by the Spanish and Irish governments.

– End all forms of support for and complicity in the atrocities being carried out by Israel, including suspending military assistance and arms transfers to the Israeli government so long as its forces commit serious rights abuses and war crimes against Palestinian civilians with impunity.

– Publicly support the ICJ’s work and its decisions as an independent judicial institution and press Israel to comply with the ICJ’s binding orders.

– Publicly support the work of the International Criminal Court across all situations under its jurisdiction, including the ongoing Palestine investigation, and render any assistance necessary to give effect to orders of the Court. Uphold the court’s independence and publicly condemn efforts to intimidate or interfere with its work, officials, and those cooperating with the institution.

– Support foreign domestic investigations and prosecutions under the principle of universal jurisdiction, as relevant and appropriate, of those credibly implicated in serious crimes in Gaza.

– The United States should immediately reverse its decisions to suspend funding to UNRWA and state clearly the intention to continue to fund the agency, and all states should urge Israeli authorities to reverse Israel‘s decisions to bar UNRWA from operating within Israel.

– Fund repairs of damaged and destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure, and press Israel to urgently allow the infrastructure to be repaired.

– Support the creation of an international mechanism to address reparation for Palestinians and an international register of damages.

– Call on Israeli authorities to allow water filtration systems, water tanks, and other materials needed to repair water infrastructure and to improve the water supply into Gaza.

– Support the United Nations to establish a plan that would ensure Palestinians have access to water at least equal to what Israel grants Israeli citizens, and pressure Israel to facilitate and contribute to the plan.

– Address long-standing impunity by Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups for serious crimes under international law.

To the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation

– Request access to Gaza in order to monitor and report publicly on the human rights situation regarding access to water and sanitation, including damage and destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure; obstruction of repairs and targeting of repair workers; restrictions on the entry of fuel; and the human rights impacts stemming from these actions.

To the International Criminal Court Prosecutor

– Investigate Israeli authorities’ actions and policies that have deprived the civilian population of Gaza of water, including as war crimes, as the crime against humanity of extermination, and as genocide.

19.12.2024 - 21:22 [ Human Rights Watch ]

‫ה‬‫כחדה‬‫ומעשים‬ ‫הנכללים‬ ‫תחת‬ ‫הגדרת‬ ‫הפשע‬‫של‬ ‫רצח‬ ‫עם‬ ‫ישראל‬‫שוללת‬ ‫מים‬ ‫בכוונה‬ ‫תחילה‬ ‫מפלסטינים‬ ‫ברצועת‬ ‫עזה‬

‫תקציר‬
‫מאז‬‫אוקטובר‬ ‫‪2023‬‬ ‫‪,‬‬‫הרשויות‬ ‫הישראליות‬ ‫מונעות‬ ‫בכוונה‬ ‫תחילה‬ ‫מפלסטינים‬ ‫גישה‬ ‫לכמות‬ ‫ה‬ ‫מים‬
‫ה‬‫הולמת‬‫הנדרשת‬ ‫להישרדות‬ ‫ברצועת‬ ‫עזה‪.‬‬
‫על‬‫פי‬ ‫ארגון‬ ‫הבריאות‬ ‫העולמי‬ ‫)‬ ‫‪WHO‬‬‫(‪,‬‬‫אדם‬ ‫זקוק‬ ‫ל‬ ‫‪-‬‬‫‪50‬‬‫–‬‫‪100‬‬‫ליטר‬ ‫ים‬‫מים‬ ‫ביום‬ ‫כדי‬ ‫להבטיח‬ ‫ש“צרכיו‬
‫הבסיסיים‬‫ביותר‬ ‫יסופקו“‪.‬‬ ‫‪1‬‬‫במצבי‬ ‫חירום‬ ‫מתמשכים‪,‬‬ ‫כמות‬ ‫המים‬ ‫המינימלית‬ ‫הנדרשת‬ ‫היא‬ ‫‪15‬‬
‫ליטר‬‫ים‬‫לאדם‬ ‫ליום‬ ‫לשתייה‬ ‫ולרחצה‪.‬‬ ‫‪2‬‬‫ולמרות‬ ‫זאת‪,‬‬ ‫בין‬ ‫אוקטובר‬ ‫‪2023‬‬ ‫לספטמבר‬ ‫‪2024‬‬ ‫‪,‬‬‫פעולות‬
‫שביצעו‬‫הרשויות‬ ‫הישראליות‬ ‫מנעו‬ ‫מרובם‬ ‫של‬ ‫יותר‬ ‫מ‬ ‫שני‬‫מיליון‬ ‫הפלסטינים‬ ‫החיים‬ ‫ברצוע‬ ‫ת‬‫עז‬ ‫ה‬‫גישה‬
‫אפילו‬‫לכמות‬ ‫מינימלית‬ ‫זו‬ ‫של‬ ‫מים‪,‬‬ ‫והדבר‬ ‫תרם‬ ‫להתפשטות‬ ‫מחלות‬ ‫והביא‬ ‫למותם‬ ‫של‬ ‫בני‬ ‫אדם‬ ‫‪.‬‬
‫‪3‬‬
‫לרבים‬‫ברצועה‬ ‫הייתה‬ ‫גישה‬ ‫רק‬ ‫‪,‬‬‫או‬ ‫בעיקר‬ ‫‪,‬‬‫למים‬ ‫שאינם‬ ‫ראויים‬ ‫לשתייה‪.‬‬
‫“‬‫אם‬‫אנחנו‬ ‫לא‬ ‫מצליחים‬ ‫למצוא‬ ‫מים‬ ‫ראויים‬ ‫לשתייה‪,‬‬ ‫אנחנו‬ ‫שותים‬ ‫את‬ ‫מי‬ ‫ה‬ ‫ים“‪,‬‬‫אמר‬ ‫אב‬ ‫שנעקר‬
‫לבית‬‫ספר‬ ‫ברפיח‬ ‫לארגון‬ ‫‪Watch‬‬ ‫‪Rights‬‬ ‫‪Human‬‬ ‫בדצמבר‬ ‫‪2023.‬‬ ‫‪4‬‬‫“קרה‬ ‫לי‬ ‫הרבה‬ ‫פעמים‬ ‫שנאלצתי‬
‫לשתות‬‫מי‬ ‫ים‪.‬‬ ‫א‬ ‫י‬‫אפשר‬ ‫להבין‬ ‫כמה‬ ‫אנחנו‬ ‫סובלים“‪.‬‬
‫

19.12.2024 - 21:20 [ Middle East Eye ]

Human Rights Watch: Israel is guilty of extermination and acts of genocide in Gaza

Israel is guilty of the crime of extermination and acts of genocide in Gaza, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has concluded in a new report published on Thursday.

The US-based human rights organisation found that Israel has inflicted conditions of life in Gaza calculated to destroy the enclave‘s Palestinian population. This amounts to extermination, which is a crime against humanity, and acts of genocide.

Coming two weeks after fellow rights group Amnesty International similarly concluded that Israel is guilty of genocide, the Human Rights Watch report is the latest sign of a growing consensus around Israel‘s actions in Gaza.

18.11.2024 - 21:44 [ Telegrafi.com ]

Germany against EU proposal to end dialogue with Israel

(November 16, 2024)

„Cutting off dialogue with Israel does not benefit the people suffering in the Gaza Strip, the hostages of Hamas, nor the people in Israel who are ready for dialogue,“ said a statement from the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin.

It was reported from Berlin that the EU-Israel Association Council is creating an „appropriate framework“ to discuss with the Israeli government the respect of the principles of international humanitarian law, they write.

18.11.2024 - 21:41 [ Middle East Eye ]

EU will not halt dialogue with Israel, says Poland

“We know that there are tragic events in Gaza, huge civilian casualties, but we do not forget who started the current cycle of violence,” Sikorski said in Brussels. “And I can tell you that there was no agreement on the idea of suspending negotiations with Israel.”

18.11.2024 - 21:29 [ DailySabah.com ]

Top EU diplomat‘s proposal to halt dialogue with Israel blocked

Diplomats said the politicians who did not support Borrell‘s initiative at the meeting included foreign ministers from Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Netherlands.

18.11.2024 - 21:15 [ Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy ]

War in Gaza: we cannot continue with business as usual

(November 16, 2024)

What we see of the tragedy of Gaza is however only the tip of the iceberg since the strip has been sealed. There are hardly any journalists or international observers entering Gaza since more than one year. It is the longest information blackout ever imposed by a democratic state. In addition, there are reasons to believe that journalists have been targeted by Israeli Defence Forces. To this day more than 130 have been killed.

This pattern at play for too long in Gaza, is now being replicated elsewhere. In South Lebanon, some 30 villages have been obliterated – not as a result of heavy combat, but in a controlled way, posted on social media. In the West Bank, extremist settlers‘ violence is forcing many Palestinian farmers and herders off their land. Uprooted olive trees, killed or stolen livestock and torched vehicles, have become part of daily reality in many rural communities. Israeli airstrikes in Jenin and Tulkarem, the first in more than two decades, have added to the destruction of civilian infrastructure left behind by bulldozers earlier this year.

16.11.2024 - 12:34 [ International Federation for Human Rights ]

Suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement

Paris, 12 March 2024. Respect for human rights is an essential element of the EU’s association agreements with partner countries. Article 2 states that „relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement“. Violation of the so-called „essential elements“ clauses allows the EU to denounce or suspend the agreements in whole or in part under Article 60 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. In the light of the deaths and suffering endured by the Palestinian people, the European Union has the duty and the means to act to prevent Israel’s crimes in Gaza and to reduce the extent of human suffering.

16.11.2024 - 12:30 [ EUNews.it ]

Suspend political dialogue with Israel: Borrell’s proposal comes to the table of EU countries

(November 14, 2024)

A political legacy on the part of the EU diplomacy chief, who has come to the end of his term, but one that is unlikely to be seized upon by the 27: for any amendment to the Association Agreement that governs EU-Israel relations, the rule of unanimity is required.

14.11.2024 - 19:55 [ Human Rights Watch ]

“Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged”: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza

To All Governments

– Publicly condemn Israel’s forced displacement of the civilian population in Gaza as a war crime and crime against humanity, as well as other violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law by Israeli authorities, and urge them to immediately halt those crimes and cooperate with international judicial bodies and investigative mechanisms.

– Increase public and private pressure on the Israeli government to stop violating international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities, to fully comply with its obligations and the binding orders and advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, and to ensure the entry and safe distribution throughout Gaza of adequate aid and provision of basic services. Consider, in that regard, the review and possible suspension of bilateral agreements with Israel, such as the EU-Israel Association Agreement, as proposed by the governments of Spain and Ireland, and the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement.

– Suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel so long as its forces commit violations of international humanitarian law with impunity.

– Enforce domestic legislation limiting the transfer of arms and military assistance for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

– Publicly support the International Criminal Court, uphold the court’s independence, and publicly condemn efforts to intimidate or interfere with its work, officials, and those cooperating with the institution.

– Urge the Government of Israel to grant access to independent, international monitors, including from the UN Special Procedures.

– Impose targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against Israeli officials credibly implicated in ongoing serious violations, for the purpose of ending these violations.

– Address long-standing impunity by Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups for serious crimes under international law, and support reparations for all victims of gross human rights abuses.

– Support the creation of a register of damages, caused by unlawful Israeli action to persons in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, for the purposes of calculating reparations.

(…)

To the Prosecutor of the International Crimin19al Court

– Investigate Israeli authorities’ forced displacement and prevention of the right to return as a crime against humanity.

24.10.2024 - 08:57 [ B’Tselem ]

The world must stop the ethnic cleansing of northern Gaza

For a year now, since the war began, the international community has shown utter impotence to stop the indiscriminate attack on civilians in the Gaza Strip. Now, when it is clearer than ever that Israel intends to forcibly displace northern Gaza’s residents by committing some of the gravest crimes under the laws of war, the world’s nations must take action.

Without immediate, decisive action from the international community, without using every tool available – political, legal, economic – the mass killings in the northern Gaza Strip will continue and the suffering of its besieged civilians will grow. All international bodies and institutions must act now to compel Israel to stop the war and end the carnage.

15.10.2024 - 00:05 [ theCradle.co ]

Spanish PM calls to suspend EU-Israel free trade agreement

Spain and Ireland are asking EU countries to suspend the EU–Israel Association Agreement on the basis that Israel may be breaching the agreement’s human rights clause.

“The European Commission must respond once and for all to the formal request made by two European countries to suspend the association agreement with Israel if it is found, as everything suggests, that human rights are being violated,” Sanchez told an event on Monday in Barcelona.

The agreement stipulates that free trade between the EU and Israel must be “based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.”

28.09.2024 - 16:21 [ Al Jazeera ]

Netanyahu violating state sovereignty with complicity of US, Europe: French MP

“Appalled by the scale of the ongoing massacre in Lebanon,” Jean-Luc Melenchon, a left-wing French politician and a former Member of the European Parliament, said in a post on X.

“Netanyahu is violating the sovereignty of states throughout the region with the complicity of Europe and the USA. The genocide in Gaza is spreading without limits.”

27.08.2024 - 13:15 [ International Federation for Human Rights ]

Suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement

Paris, 12 March 2024. Respect for human rights is an essential element of the EU’s association agreements with partner countries. Article 2 states that „relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement“. Violation of the so-called „essential elements“ clauses allows the EU to denounce or suspend the agreements in whole or in part under Article 60 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. In the light of the deaths and suffering endured by the Palestinian people, the European Union has the duty and the means to act to prevent Israel’s crimes in Gaza and to reduce the extent of human suffering.

27.08.2024 - 13:00 [ Reporters Without Borders ]

Dear High Representative / Vice-President Borrell and Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis,

(August 26, 2024)

Our organizations are writing to request that the European Union take action against the Israeli authorities’ unprecedented killing of journalists and other violations of media freedom, in contravention of Israel’s human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL) obligations. These are part of widespread and systematic abuses committed by Israeli authorities in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and elsewhere, as documented or acknowledged by Israeli, Palestinian and international NGOs, UN experts, the International Court of Justice, and in a request for arrest warrants by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. These violations should trigger the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and further EU targeted
sanctions against those responsible. Regrettably, the EU 27 governments are yet to unanimously acknowledge, attribute, and condemn the Israeli forces’ crimes in Gaza.

27.08.2024 - 11:17 [ Reporters Without Borders ]

RSF and 59 other organisations call on EU to suspend Association Agreement with Israel

“It is time to move from verbal condemnations to action. Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement stipulates that their relations are based on an essential component, which is respect for human rights and democratic principles. The Israeli government is clearly trampling on this article. The EU, which is Israel’s leading trade partner, must draw the necessary conclusions from this and must do everything to ensure that the Netanyahu government stops massacring journalists and respects the right to information and press freedom by opening media access to Gaza. The credibility of the EU is at stake.“

27.08.2024 - 10:54 [ RFI.fr ]

Dozens of media associations call on EU to suspend treaty with Israel

„In response to the unprecedented number of journalists killed and other repeated press freedom violations by the Israeli authorities since the start of the war with Hamas, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 59 other organisations are calling on the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel and to adopt targeted sanctions against those responsible“, the groups said in a joint statement.

The call came ahead of a meeting by EU foreign ministers in Brussels on 29 August.

27.08.2024 - 10:45 [ International Press Institute ]

60 organizations urge EU action against Israel’s attacks on press freedom

In an urgent appeal, 60 global press freedom and human rights organizations, including the International Press Institute (IPI), are calling on the European Union to take decisive action against Israel for its escalating violations of media freedom and killing of journalists. In a letter addressed to EU leaders, the signatories urge the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and the imposition of targeted sanctions on responsible Israeli officials.