Source: European Parliament
Priority question for written answer P-000539/2025
to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Rule 144
Marc Botenga (The Left), Pernando Barrena Arza (The Left), Ilaria Salis (The Left), Lynn Boylan (The Left), Özlem Demirel (The Left), Giorgos Georgiou (The Left), Jonas Sjöstedt (The Left), Danilo Della Valle (The Left), Merja Kyllönen (The Left), Irene Montero (The Left)
The EU plans to hold an Association Council meeting with Israel in February 2025. Due to Israel’s disregard for human rights and international law, including through illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank, no such meetings took place between 2012 and 2022. Similar concerns impeded the meetings in 2023 and 2024.
Indeed, Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which constitutes the framework for these meetings, states that ‘relations between the Parties … shall be based on respect for human rights’, underscoring that this ‘constitutes an essential element of this Agreement’.
Since the 2022 meeting of the Association Council, the International Court of Justice has confirmed the illegal character of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- 1.Does the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy recognise that war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide violate Article 2?
- 2.Will the meeting of the Association Council be made conditional upon Israel’s compliance with Article 2? If not, why not?
- 3.If the meeting does take place, what measures will the European side put on the table to make Israel comply with Article 2?
Submitted: 5.2.2025