UN experts urge EU to suspend Israel trade agreement immediately

UN experts on Monday called on the EU to immediately suspend its trade agreement with Israel, saying it is the "minimum measure required" under international law in light of alleged human rights violations.

In a statement issued ahead of Tuesday's meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, the experts said the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be fully suspended because Israel continues to receive preferential access to European markets despite "well-documented human rights violations that have escalated into atrocity crimes, including genocide."

"Europe faces a clear moral test, when its Foreign Ministers meet in Luxembourg tomorrow, 21 April, to consider the suspension, in full or in part of this Agreement," the experts said in a statement.

"The EU cannot credibly claim to uphold human rights while sustaining preferential trade with a State whose conduct has been found by multiple international bodies as amounting to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes," they added.

The experts noted that the European Citizens' Initiative calling for suspension of the agreement had collected more than 1 million signatures.

They also pointed to rulings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and arrest warrants issued by the top UN court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

"Full suspension is not a matter of political discretion but a legal imperative incumbent on the European Union," the experts said in a statement.