European diplomats urge Brussels to suspend association deal with Israel

More than 350 European diplomats, ministers, and former senior officials have called on the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel.

In a joint letter, the signatories argue that “Israel systematically violates the human rights of Palestinians, thereby going beyond the core principles on which the agreement with the EU is based,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Israeli media.

They also claim the bloc has shown excessive passivity toward Israel, “especially compared to the sanctions imposed on Russia in cases of similar violations of international law.”

The EU–Israel Association Agreement, signed in 1995 and in force since 2000, provides the legal framework governing relations between the Jewish state and the European Union.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov