The EU-Israel Association Agreement establishes close relations between the bloc and the Middle Eastern nation, governing cooperation in key industries and bilateral trade. While tearing up the pact entirely would require unanimous support from all 27 EU member countries, four officials confirmed to POLITICO that interim measures, such as paring back trade ties, are being considered and could be passed by a qualified majority of countries.

“In response to the terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023, Israel launched an intense military campaign, involving the use of weapons with wide are effects in densely-populated areas, and severe restrictions on the entry and distribution of essential goods and services into Gaza,” the eight-page document reads.

“In the context of Israel and the [Occupied Palestinian Territory], observers have deplored a persistent lack of accountability on all sides,” the document says. “This ongoing lack of accountability measures for serious allegations of international law violations has raised serious doubts about Israeli authorities’ willingness and ability to conduct genuine investigations, as required by international law.”

The EEAS’ assessment of the humanitarian situation also criticizes mass casualty events in Gaza, citing an “unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians,” as well as attacks on hospitals and the displacement of an estimated 90 percent of the population of the territory.

Kallas told lawmakers in the European Parliament on Wednesday that “Israel has the right to self-defense, but what we see in practice from Israel goes beyond self-defense,” adding that Israel is “undermining decades of humanitarian principles” by blocking food and medicine for Palestinians in Gaza, along with sidestepping U.N. aid.

Speaking earlier this month ahead of the publication, European Council President António Costa suggested he expected the EEAS review would find Israel to be violating its commitments.

What has happened?

The EU’s foreign policy service has reached the cautious conclusion that “there are indications” that Israel is in breach of human rights obligations, in a review of its association agreement with the Middle Eastern country.

The EU-Israel association agreement, which came into force in 2000, underpins the relationship between the EU’s 27 member states and the Mediterranean nation, not only concerning trade but social and environmental cooperation.

Under pressure from EU member states appalled by the humanitarian blockade of the Gaza Strip, the EU’s high representative for foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, launched a review last month.

The review was based on article 2 of the agreement, which states that respect for human rights and democratic principles is an “essential element”.

The EU has said “there are indications” that Israel is in breach of human rights obligations over its conduct in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for immediate sanctions.

“There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under article 2 of the EU-Israel association agreement,” states a leaked document from the EU’s foreign policy service, seen by the Guardian.

Couched in the typically cautious language of Brussels, the document nevertheless represents a significant moment in Europe’s relations towards a longstanding ally.

The closely guarded paper, which will be presented by the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, to European foreign ministers on Monday, cites assessments by the international court of justice, the office of the high commissioner for human rights, and numerous other UN bodies, while saying that it does not represent “a value judgment” by any EU official.

The finding has been seen as a foregone conclusion since a review of the EU-Israel agreement was put on the agenda last month by 17 EU member states, led by the Netherlands, a traditional ally of Israel.

EU officials were tasked to see whether Israel’s internal and international relations were based on “respect for human rights and democratic principles” against the backdrop of near-daily fatal shootings of Palestinian civilians seeking food.

The review was triggered by Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, amid widespread horror over the ongoing bombardment that has laid waste to the territory and killed more than 55,600 people – mostly civilians – since 7 October 2023, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The EU discussion is complicated by Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, which may restrain some governments from putting pressure on Israel.

Soon after Israel began waging war against Iran, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, “reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself”. She has previously faced criticism for not speaking up over the humanitarian consequences for Palestinians from Israel’s onslaught.

The EU-Israel association agreement, signed in 1995, underpins a trade relationship worth €68bn (£58bn) between 27 European countries and the Middle Eastern country. The EU is Israel’s largest market and accounts for about one-third of its trade. Israel is also a member of the EU’s Horizon research funding programme, and has secured grants worth €831m since the current programme began in 2021.

The document emerged after more than 100 campaign groups urged the commission this week to suspend the association agreement.

“A weak or inconclusive review of Israel’s compliance with article 2, and/or failure by the commission and council to suspend at least part of the association agreement, would ultimately destroy what’s left of the EU’s credibility [and] further embolden Israel authorities to continue their atrocity crimes,” reads the statement, signed by 113 civil society groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Eve Geddie, the head of Amnesty International’s EU office, said the decision to launch a review had come “tragically, devastatingly late” and that while it was important, as time passed Israeli forces had become “more and more emboldened”.

Separately, eight EU member states have written to Kallas urging her to look into discontinuing trade of goods and services from the occupied Palestinian territories.

The letter, organised by Belgium, states the EU is obliged to respond to an opinion from the international court of justice last July ordering Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories as soon as possible. In a landmark – albeit non-binding – ruling, the court said other states were under an obligation not to recognise the occupation as lawful.

“We have not seen a proposal on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements,” states the letter, calling for the EU to set out a timeline for reaching “full compliance” with the advisory opinion around its first anniversary.

View image in fullscreen The Netherlands launched a call to review the EU-Israel association agreement after protests last month, which have continued (pictured: The Hague, 15 June 2025). Photograph: Paulo Amorim/VW Pics/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

EU policy on Israel has been hobbled by difficulties finding unanimity among 27 member states with starkly different views, from countries that have recognised Palestine, including Spain and Ireland, to staunch allies of the Israeli president, Benjamin Netanyahu, such as Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The tide turned last month when the Netherlands, a strong ally of Israel, launched a call to review the EU-Israel association agreement, after the largest protests on Dutch streets over a foreign policy question in decades.

The Dutch foreign minister, Casper Veldkamp, a former ambassador to Israel, argued that Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip was a breach of international law and therefore the association agreement. An unexpectedly large number of countries agreed, although the question was not put to a vote.

The EU is far from united over what to do next. A full suspension of the agreement, which requires unanimity, is seen as impossible, given the certainty of a veto from Hungary, the Czech Republic or Germany.

The EU only needs a weighted majority to suspend favourable trade terms or Israel’s participation in Horizon, but even those outcomes are highly uncertain.

Hildegard Bentele, a German centre-right MEP who chairs the European parliament’s Israel delegation, criticised moves to question the agreement. “This will not have any influence on the Israeli government. I am very sure about it. This will put us in a less influential position,” she said in an interview earlier this month.

Kallas’s predecessor, Josep Borrell, however, has criticised Europe for shirking its moral responsibilities over Gaza. In a typically outspoken speech, he argued the EU should use the association agreement as a lever to demand that humanitarian law is respected.

In a further illustration of the EU’s foreign policy knots, Hungary is blocking EU sanctions against violent Israeli settlers.

Kallas earlier this week voiced frustration at critics that have accused the EU of silence and inaction, citing the need to find consensus. “Sanctions need unanimity. And again I’m representing 27 [countries].”

She argued that presenting sanctions that would inevitably fail was pointless: “I feel better myself that I’ve done something, but actually I know that this will not go through … and then it will just show that we don’t have a common position.”

Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip indicate a breach of the human rights provisions contained in its Association Agreement with the European Union, a highly anticipated review from the bloc’s diplomatic service has found, citing a collection of findings by independent international organisations, Euronews reports.

The breach stems from Israel’s war on Gaza and the stringent conditions applied to the deliveries of humanitarian aid, which have stoked fears of widespread famine among Palestinians living in the densely populated enclave. It also covers Israel’s decades-long occupation of the West Bank, where settlers have engaged in violent acts.

Europeans have reacted with shock and fury at reports of Palestinians being killed by the Israeli army while waiting for supplies at distribution sites.

The review was conducted by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and sent to member states on Friday under a restrictive format to avoid leaks.

“There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement,” a senior diplomat told Euronews, quoting the conclusions contained in the document.

The review was launched last month at the request of 17 countries, led by the Netherlands, to determine whether Israel was still complying with Article 2 of the Association Agreement, which states bilateral relations “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”.

An opinion poll suggests that a majority of Germans and Italians strongly support halting arms sales to Israel if humanitarian law is not upheld in Gaza.

The research carried out by advocacy group Eko also reveals that citizens of the two countries believe the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended if Israel fails to uphold human rights and democratic principles, as required under Article 2 of the agreement, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

The poll was taken ahead of Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council, where ministers will debate the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

A review of Israel’s actions in Gaza found it may have breached the agreement, according to a leaked document seen by Politico.

“On the basis of the assessments made by the independent international institutions … there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement,” the European External Action Service concluded.

According to the new poll, about 74 per cent of Germans and 92 per cent of Italians support ending arms exports to Israel if it doesn’t respect humanitarian law. German arms exports to Israel include engines for the Merkava tank, although these appear to have slowed down.

Similarly, 77 per cent of Germans and 89 per cent of Italians believe the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended. Both the final results exclude those who didn’t express an opinion.

Suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement requires a qualified majority vote among EU member states. Eko says that means the support of major countries like Germany and Italy is essential if that is to happen.

“For months we’ve called on the EU to use its power to stop this horror,” said Eoin Dubsky, senior campaigner at Eko.

“We now have the people, the momentum, and the legal justification to act. Suspending the trade deal and arms sales isn’t just a political option – it’s a legal and moral obligation.”

An initial request filed by Ireland and Spain in February 2024 to review the agreement was ignored by the EU Commission – the EU’s executive arm.

But a recent call for a review filed by the Netherlands and sparked by Israel’s blockade of aid into Gaza has gained momentum. The Dutch initiative has been supported by Finland, Portugal, Sweden and France.

After the US, Germany was once the second-biggest supplier of arms sales to Israel and sold it $354.4 million worth of equipment last year, a ten-fold increase from 2022.

But this has dwindled since the early weeks of the war in Gaza and the latest figures show sales to Israel do not feature in the top 10 importers of German hardware.

In response to a recent parliamentary question last year, the ministry revealed only $16 million worth of exports were approved from January to August, with only $35,812 in actual weapons for fighting.

News.Az