Press release supporting the campaign to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement

• The Hague Initiative for Law and Justice expresses its full support for the European popular campaign demanding the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which has succeeded in collecting more than one million signatures in a short period, in a move that reflects a profound shift in the awareness of European societies and their growing commitment to the values of justice and human rights.

This unprecedented popular momentum constitutes a clear political and legal message to the institutions of the European Union that they must assume their responsibilities and respect their obligations stipulated in the partnership agreement, particularly with regard to the need to adhere to the principles of human rights as an essential element in the contractual relationship.

• While we affirm that the European Citizens’ Initiative is one of the fundamental democratic tools that allows citizens to directly influence public policies, reaching the threshold of one million signatures imposes a legal and moral obligation on the European Commission to seriously consider the demands made, organize transparent hearings, and issue a clear and reasoned position.

Continued disregard for gross human rights violations undermines the credibility of European values-based discourse and reinforces double standards. Therefore, we believe that suspending the Association Agreement is no longer merely a political option, but a legal and moral imperative consistent with the principles of international law and the European Union’s commitments.

We also call on all relevant parties within the European Union, from institutions to member states, to respect the European popular will and respond to this growing movement, in a way that contributes to restoring balance to European policies and strengthens its role as an international actor committed to the rule of international law.

In this context, we demand:

1- An immediate response to the demands of the popular campaign and the initiation of procedures to review and suspend the Association Agreement.

2- The organization of public hearings.

3- The adoption of policies consistent with human rights principles, free from narrow political considerations.

This campaign represents a pivotal moment in the history of the relationship between the European Union and Israel, and a true test of Europe’s commitment to the values it has long proclaimed. We emphasize that respecting the will of the people is no longer an option, but a necessity imposed by the transformations taking place within European societies.