Call for a suspension of the EU Association Agreement with Israel

Public Call to the Federal Government, September 2025

Berlin, 25 September: In view of the illegal Israeli warfare in the Gaza Strip with a high number of civilian casualties and a catastrophic humanitarian situation, the non-governmental organizations PowerShift and Attac Germany are calling for an immediate suspension of the EU Association Agreement with Israel.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas, ruling the Gaza Strip, led an attack on Israel, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 hostages. In their attack, Hamas fighters and other Palestinian militias committed serious war crimes, including the targeted murder of civilians, torture and sexualised violence. In response to the attack, Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip – initially airstrikes, later also the use of ground troops – and invoked its right of self-defence. The goal of the action was the destruction of Hamas and the liberation of the hostages.

Among others, the United Nations Human Rights Council documented – in addition to Hamas crimes – an increasing number of war crimes committed by the Israeli army. Israeli human rights violations in the Gaza Strip include targeted attacks on civilians, intentional killings, starvation as a method of warfare, forced displacement, sexualised violence and torture. In addition, there is an unacceptable Auxiliary delivery system, In the case of which there is already 1,760 Palestinians were killed near dispensaries or aid convoys. According to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli attacks as a whole have so far 63,000 people died. At least 70 % Palestinians killed in residential buildings or similar shelters were women and children.

South Africa filed a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023 accusing Israel of not only violating international humanitarian law through its military actions involving high civilian casualties and blocking humanitarian aid, but also committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. The ICC has not yet ruled on the substance, but in 2024 injunctions Instructing Israel, among other things, to prevent potential violations of the UN Genocide Convention and to enable the provision of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Against this background, the Council of the EU, at the initiative of several Member States, decided in May this year to review whether Israel had violated the human rights clause of the Association Agreement with the EU. The EU comes in its verification concluded that there were indeed indications that Israel had infringed Article 2 of the Association Agreement. This Article declares the protection of human rights to be a fundamental element of the Agreement. Violations can be punished with trade sanctions, as the EU has already done in several countries. Previous cases has done (Myanmar, Belarus, Sri Lanka, Cambodia).

The EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted the review report on 23 June 2025. discusses, But also in his Follow-up meeting No action was taken against Israel on 15 July 2025. Several Member States, including Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands, have now expressed their support for the activation of the human rights clause and possible trade sanctions against Israel. Also the European Commission on 17.9.2025 proposed to the Council of the EU to suspend the trade preferences of the Association Agreement. Germany however, in addition to Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic and Hungary, it is one of the countries that opposes this measure.

The German government should abandon its opposition to the suspension of the association agreement with Israel.

The looming losses in trade with the EU could lead the Israeli government to take serious action to protect human rights and end the war in the Gaza Strip. In addition, a dialogue with the Israeli government can also take place in the event of a suspension of the Association Agreement.

The German government must act immediately in view of the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip! A first step is to agree to the suspension of the EU Association Agreement with Israel and the trade preferences granted thereunder.

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