News - Middle East: More than 100 former members of the European Parliament (MEPs) representing various political factions have jointly condemned the continuous starvation of the civilian population in Gaza as a “war crime,” calling for the complete suspension of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel.

The appeal was made in an open letter signed by 110 former MEPs on Tuesday, criticizing the European Union's response to the conflict in Gaza. 

"The Israeli regime’s actions against Israel are nothing less than a war crime. This violates the fundamental human rights on which all EU Association Agreements with third countries are based, thanks to the European Parliament's efforts over decades," the MEPs stated in the letter.

They said the failure of EU states to agree to such a proposal would expose their complicity in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, emphasizing the necessity for concrete action against the regime and urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take decisive steps.

Additionally, the signatories criticized the belated decision by the European Commission in late July to propose a partial suspension of Israel's access to the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation program. They said it was "too little, too late" in response to Israel's atrocities in Gaza. 

In a post on X, Former European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell announced his support for the suspension of the EU's Association Agreement with Israel, which governs the trading and political relations between the two parties.

He also said the failure to do so risks violating Article 265 of the Treaty through culpable inaction.

The EU’s Association Agreement with Israel has frequently been promoted as the most effective instrument available to the EU for compelling Israel to improve the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.

In July, a coalition of 40 cross-party legislators urged the European Union to halt its trade deal with Israel and to impose sanctions on the cabinet of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as a United Nations-supported organization raised alarms about indications of famine and extensive starvation in the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched the war on the people of Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory operation into the occupied territories.

Concomitantly with the war, the regime has been enforcing a near-total siege on the coastal territory, which has reduced the flow of foodstuffs, medicine, electricity, and water into the Palestinian territory to a trickle.

Israel has rejected calls from the UN, aid agencies, and world leaders to allow more aid trucks into the besieged region to alleviate the crisis. 

Source: Press TV