Shafaq News/ The European Union and Israel will hold the thirteenthmeeting of their Association Council on Monday in Brussels, where discussionswill focus on the Gaza conflict, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and broaderregional and global issues.
The high-level political dialogue will also cover EU-Israel bilateralrelations, with European officials expected to address human rights concernsraised by international rights groups.
The meeting will be chaired by EU High Representative for ForeignAffairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister GideonSa’ar. Dubravka Šuica, Commissioner for the Mediterranean, and representativesof EU member states will also be present.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Kallas and EU foreign ministers to“unequivocally condemn Israel’s atrocity crimes and other serious violations ofinternational law” during the talks.
According to HRW, EU leaders “should signal an end to the bloc’s reluctanceto acknowledge and address Israel’s war crimes, crimes againsthumanity—including apartheid—and acts of genocide.”
The rights group called on the EU to impose sanctions on Israeliofficials responsible for abuses, suspend arms sales, and review Israel’scompliance with human rights obligations under the EU-Israel AssociationAgreement.
“There can be no business as usual with a government responsible forcrimes against humanity, including apartheid, and acts of genocide, and whosesitting prime minister is wanted for atrocity crimes by the InternationalCriminal Court,” said Claudio Francavilla, associate EU director at HumanRights Watch. “The only purpose of this Association Council meeting should beto call out those crimes and to announce long overdue measures in response.”
In a letter to EU leaders, 125 civil society organizations, includingHRW, urged the bloc to consider suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement.They cited Article 2, which defines human rights and democratic principles as“essential elements” of the treaty.
Violations of these principles could lead to the agreement’s suspension.Spain and Ireland had requested such a move in February 2024, but the EU hasyet to respond.
“Europe’s reluctance to condemn and address Israel’s atrocity crimes hasfueled them and given rise to well-grounded accusations of EU doublestandards,” Francavilla said. “Unless the EU drastically changes course, itwill provide a blank check for further abuses and continue to undermine theEU’s stated commitment to human rights and the rules-based internationalorder.”
The Israeli war in Gaza killed over 62,500 Palestinians mostly childrenand women, with at least 14,000 people still trapped under the rubble.
According to the latest data from the United Nations Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organization, andthe Palestinian government, nearly all homes have been either damaged ordestroyed, while 80 percent of commercial facilities and 88 percent of school buildingshave been affected.
Healthcare infrastructure has also suffered, with only 50 percent ofhospitals remaining partially functional. Additionally, 68 percent of roadnetworks and cropland have been damaged.
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