Brussels – More than a million signatures calling for the suspension of the trade agreement between the European Union and Israel. The European Left Alliance for the Peoples and the Planet (ELA) organised an event in Brussels today (15 July) to mark the end of the petition drive for the European Citizens’ Initiative: ‘Justice for Palestine, Stop EU trade with criminals’ (Justice for Palestine, stop the EU’s trade with criminals). The campaign officially closes tonight at 23:59.
Launched by ELA on 13 January 2026, Justice for Palestine calls on the European Union to completely suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement due to “Israel’s genocide, occupation and apartheid against the Palestinian people and its ongoing violations of international law and human rights.” According to ELA, this is the initiative that has reached one million signatures and the minimum threshold of six Member States the fastest since it was registered. By early this afternoon, the initiative had reached almost 1.3 million signatures from thirteen countries.
“This petition is a tribute to those fighting to put an end to this genocide, such as the students and activists who, through their protests, have decided not to turn a blind eye,” reiterated the French MEP from the La Gauche party, Manon Aubry, who stressed that “over the last three years, the European Commission has done nothing to stop Israel” apart from proposing an option paper which the MEP described as a “joke”. Aubry is also Vice-Chair of the Parliament’s Committee on International Trade and explained that once the deadline for signatures closes tonight, the verification process will begin. Each Member State will have two months to carry out the verification and, once it has been confirmed that the one million threshold has been exceeded or reached, the Commission must submit a response within six months.
The co-chair of ELA, Catarina Martins, pointed out that, in addition to The Left, other parties in the European Parliament had also shown their support for the initiative, including the Socialists and the Greens. She also pointed out that the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel “should already have been suspended.” Article 2 of the text stipulates that respect for human rights and democratic principles is an essential element of relations between the two parties. If either party violates these rules, the agreement provides for the possibility of suspending it. Martins also emphasised that “the matter does not end here,” as it is necessary to continue “exerting public pressure” given that the Commission and governments “are not responding to the demands of their citizens.”
The MEP from The Left, Isabel Serra Sánchez, pointed out that the initiative is “the very least we can do in the face of the genocide being suffered by the Palestinian people,” with the Gaza Strip experiencing a destruction rate of “90 per cent.” On this point, the MEP from The Left, Hanna Gedin, highlighted the impact of the Israeli attacks on children, whose “childhood has been replaced by suffering.” She then bluntly addressed the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson: “You knew, but you decided to do nothing” and “human rights only apply when they are politically convenient.”
The European Citizens’ Initiative is an instrument introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon that enables citizens to ask the European Commission to propose legislative acts or other measures within its areas of competence. In 1995, the EU concluded an Association Agreement with the State of Israel to facilitate and expand trade, provide a framework for bilateral political dialogue, and promote scientific, technological, and cultural cooperation. With over 34 per cent of Israel’s imports coming from the EU and 28.8 per cent of Israeli exports going to the EU, the Union is Israel’s main trading partner. In 2024, total trade in goods between the EU and Israel amounted to €42.6 billion.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
