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A European Citizens' Initiative demanding the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement has crossed the one million signature threshold, organizers announced Tuesday, making it the fastest such initiative to reach that milestone since the mechanism was established.
The campaign has also cleared the minimum national signature requirements in 10 EU member states, surpassing the seven-country floor needed for formal consideration.
Launched in January 2026 under the title "Justice for Palestine," the initiative is led by the European Left Alliance and backed by civil society groups and Palestinian-led movements across the bloc. Organizers are now pushing toward a new target of 1.5 million signatures.
"One million people have spoken: the EU must fully suspend its Association Agreement with Israel," organizers said in a statement, calling on the bloc to "stop its complicity with Israel's genocide."
The statement also highlighted the EU's trade relationship with Israel, noting that the bloc remains Israel's largest trading partner, with total goods trade reaching 42.6 billion euros, approximately 50.2 billion dollars, in 2024. "The gap between European citizens' demands and the EU leadership's policy on Palestine keeps growing," organizers added.
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Catarina Martins, co-chair of the European Left Alliance, argued that continued economic ties with Israel undermine the EU's stated commitment to human rights.
Under the European Citizens' Initiative mechanism, once the signature and threshold requirements are met, the European Commission is required to examine the proposal and decide whether to act, though it is not legally obligated to introduce legislation.
The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2000, contains a human rights clause stipulating that relations between the parties are grounded in respect for human rights and democratic principles. Critics have long argued that the clause provides a legal basis for suspension during periods of alleged violations, though the EU has not invoked it against Israel.
The petition's milestone coincides with a parallel development in Rome. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Tuesday that her government has suspended the automatic renewal of its bilateral defense agreement with Israel. "In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel," Meloni told reporters in Verona, according to the ANSA news agency.
Meloni also called for continued international efforts to advance peace negotiations, stabilize the situation involving Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while urging caution on the question of Russian gas.
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