"One Million EU Citizens Sign Petition to Suspend Cooperation Agreement with Israel"

It has been reported that one million people have signed a citizens' petition calling for the complete suspension of the cooperation agreement between the European Union (EU) and Israel within just three months.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

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According to Yonhap News Agency on the 14th (local time), citing the Belgian media outlet Brussels Times, one million people have signed a petition titled the "European Citizens' Initiative for Justice in Palestine" (ECI). The petition urges the EU to impose sanctions on Israel, claiming that Israel is systematically committing genocide and human rights violations against Palestinian residents in Gaza, the West Bank, and other areas.

The petition began in January, and with one million signatures reached on this day, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, is now legally obliged to formally review whether to suspend the bilateral cooperation agreement with Israel. The petition met the required threshold in 10 member states, surpassing the EU regulation's minimum condition of seven countries.

The petition, led by the European Left Alliance (ELA), involved civil society organizations from various countries, Palestinian-led social movements, and citizens across EU member states. The ELA stated, "As Israel's attacks on Lebanon continue, there is growing demand for the EU to swiftly pursue a complete suspension of its agreement with Israel."

Katarina Martins, a Member of the European Parliament and co-chair of the ELA, criticized, "Israel is carrying out mass killings of civilians, destroying key infrastructure, and recently passed a death penalty law that applies only to Palestinian political prisoners. Yet the EU continues to maintain a preferential trade agreement, which amounts to rewarding Israel."

In February, citizens participated in a solidarity rally with Palestine in Paris, France. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

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According to Yonhap News Agency, the EU-Israel cooperation agreement, which functions similarly to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), constitutes the legal foundation of their bilateral relations and explicitly states that the principles of human rights and democracy are its basis. Last September, the European Commission proposed to suspend certain trade-related provisions of the agreement and to sanction some extreme Israeli government officials and violent settlers in the West Bank.

However, progress stalled due to opposition from Hungary in the European Council, the EU's highest decision-making body. Nonetheless, with a change of government confirmed in Hungary for the first time in 16 years following the general election on the 12th, signs of possible change are being observed.

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