Brussels – Three months after its launch on 13 January, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Justice for Palestine” has reached one million signatures: this is the initiative that has reached this milestone the fastest and has even exceeded the required national thresholds in 10 Member States – three more than the minimum of seven stipulated by EU rules. The news was announced by the organizers themselves, the European Left Alliance (ELA), noting that the initiative calls on the European Commission to discuss whether “to completely suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement due to the genocide, occupation, and apartheid perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian population, as well as the ongoing violations of international law and human rights.” The Commission will now be forced to address the issue, but is not obliged to take one decision or another. The Association Agreement, concluded in 1995, was intended to facilitate trade, establish a framework for bilateral political dialogue, and promote scientific, technological, and cultural cooperation.
In Italy, where the minimum threshold required was 53,580 signatures, 245,545 were collected. In absolute terms, Italy’s contribution ranks second overall, after France’s 383,426 signatures, obtained against a national minimum threshold of 55,695. The other eight EU countries to have exceeded the minimum threshold are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden.
The million signatures, however, are just a first milestone. “A million people have spoken out: the EU must completely suspend the Association Agreement with Israel; the EU must uphold international law, and put an end to its complicity in the Israeli genocide,” they write. But “the struggle is far from over,” and “the European Left Alliance calls on every citizen who has not yet signed to do so now, and on those who have already signed to continue the mobilization”. The aim is to reach 1.5 million signatures “to exert further pressure on the European Commission and ensure we have at least 1 million valid signatures.” Under European law, a European citizens’ initiative must collect at least 1 million valid signatures within a year for the Commission to formally consider legislative or political action. In this context, therefore, “increasing the number of signatures is now more important than ever.”
“Israel is killing civilians on a massive scale, destroying vital infrastructure, and has recently passed a death penalty law that targets only Palestinian political prisoners, yet the EU rewards Israel by maintaining its privileged trade agreement,” says Catarina Martins, co-president of the European Left Alliance. “The EU is allowing Israel not only to continue its genocide against the Palestinians, but also to profit economically from it,” she emphasizes. The EU is Israel’s main trading partner: Israeli imports of European goods exceed 34 percent, while Tel Aviv’s exports to the Union reach 28.8 percent. In 2024, trade continued to flow, reaching a total volume of 42.6 billion euros. Since 10 October 2025, when the “ceasefire” came into force, Israel has killed 738 Palestinians in Gaza. However, the Alliance notes, “the actual toll is far higher” and “a lasting ceasefire can only be achieved with an end to the illegal colonial occupation.” Furthermore, “Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon have made the call for the EU to accelerate the full suspension of the Association Agreement with Israel even more urgent.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
