On Friday 5 April, representatives of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) called on the European Union to take action against Israel, whether in relation to the situation in Gaza or the settlements in the West Bank, at a meeting with the media in Brussels.
“What the EU is doing is not enough, far from enough”, stressed Alexis Deswaef, Vice-President of the FIDH. In his view, the EU should not wait for the United States to put pressure on Israel, but should be at the forefront. “We have the necessary tools to impose an immediate ceasefire through sanctions and measures, but we are not doing so”, he regretted.
Mr Deswaef felt that this was a question of credibility for the EU, that the EU had to do this for the people of Gaza, but also for itself, to defend its “European values”.
The FIDH is pushing for the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel to be suspended or, at the very least, for trade measures to be taken to limit trade. “If the EU wants to retain its moral and ethical credibility, this agreement must be suspended for its violation and non-compliance”, in relation to Article 2.
The organisation is also calling for an arms embargo on Israel. According to Antoine Madelin, Director of International Advocacy at the FIDH, Germany provides around 30% of Israel’s military equipment imports.
Regarding the West Bank settlements, the FIDH is calling for a ban on products from these settlements on European territory. “The EU should ban the products, labelling is not enough, the products come from an illegal situation and are manufactured in violation of international law. They shouldn’t even be on the market”, explained Diana Alzeerde, from the Palestinian NGO Al-Haq, a member of the FIDH.
The organisation is also calling for measures to be taken against Israeli and European companies involved in the economy of these settlements. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)