Amnesty International has called on European Union (EU) member states to halt arms supplies to Israel.
This appeal was made in a letter addressed to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, as reported by the German Press Agency (DPA) on Wednesday.
In addition to the arms ban, the human rights organization urged the EU to cease investment and trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, which the International Court of Justice in The Hague recently deemed illegal in a non-binding advisory opinion.
Amnesty International’s call for a stricter EU policy comes ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, where the ongoing war in Gaza will be a key topic of discussion.
In July, the International Court of Justice stated that Israel’s nearly 60-year occupation of Palestinian territories violates international law and must end as soon as possible.
The court, in a landmark opinion from the United Nations’ highest judicial body, indicated that Israel’s settlement policy effectively amounts to an illegal annexation.
The court also emphasized that its members, including EU states, bear the responsibility of not supporting Israel’s occupation policy or accepting the status quo it has created.
Amnesty International highlighted in its letter to Borrell that by “supplying Israel with arms, technology, and equipment,” EU states are failing to meet this responsibility.
The organization also called on the European Commission to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement in terms of its compliance with human rights obligations.
Previously, Ireland and Spain, with support from Slovenia, had urged the European Commission to assess Israel’s adherence to human rights commitments under the EU-Israel trade agreement.
