An internal review by the European Union’s diplomatic service found indications that Israel’s actions in Gaza violated its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Reuters reported.
The EU review comes after months of mounting concerns among European countries over Israel’s operations in Gaza and the humanitarian conditions in the Strip.
Breach of Obligations
On Friday, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said “there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement,” based on assessments by independent international institutions.
The report added that Israel’s ongoing “restrictions to the provision of food, medicines, medical equipment, and other vital supplies affect the entire population of Gaza present on the affected territory.”
Violating Human Rights
The EU review examines the situation in Gaza, with an entire section covering issues such as blocking the entry of humanitarian aid, attacks with mass casualties, military strikes on hospitals and medical facilities, displacement, and lack of accountability.
Furthermore, the report examines the situation in the occupied West Bank, including settler violence. In the light of this, the EU review said it “relies on facts verified by and assessments made by independent international institutions, and with a focus on most recent events in Gaza and the West Bank.”
EU-Israel Association Agreement
The EU-Israel Association Agreement – which came into force in 2000 – governs relations between the bloc and Israel across various fields. It also states that relations between both sides should be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.
In May 2025, the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said that the EU would review the Association Agreement in light of the “catastrophic situation” in Gaza, after over half of bloc’s members backed conducting the review.
No Concrete Action Expected
The EU Foreign Ministers will convene on Monday, June 23, 2025, in Brussels. They are expected to discuss the bloc’s relations with Israel in light of the review, although they have not reached a consensus on their approach to Israel.
Some ministers might push for action following the review, but the Monday meeting is not expected to yield any concrete decisions. EU officials will likely share the review’s findings with Israel, in an attempt to influence it, and will refer the issue to a July meeting.
Trade Suspension
The EU review comes a day after 9 European countries, including Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, sent a letter to the European Commission, urging it to halt trade of goods and services with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The letter cited a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which stated that Israel’s settlements and occupation of Palestinian territories are in violation of international law. It also urged states to take actions to suspend trade or investment ties that could contribute to sustaining this situation.
“We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements. We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court,” the letter said.
