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The second-largest political group in the European Parliament staged a protest Wednesday inside the parliament building in Brussels, calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and urging stronger action by EU institutions over developments in the Middle East.
Lawmakers from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, known as S&D, gathered with signs reading, “Suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement Now!”
The protest was accompanied by a statement in which the group said the European Council “must suspend the EU-Israel association agreement!”
S&D lawmakers used the protest to press for additional EU measures related to Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.
The group also shared a photo from the protest on X with a caption calling for “immediate sanctions on violent settlers in the West Bank.”
“The creation of a Palestinian State must be the EU’s unwavering priority, starting with the reconstruction of Gaza. Israel must stop military operations in Lebanon,” the caption said.
The EU-Israel Association Agreement has been in force since 2000 and sets the framework for political dialogue, trade and cooperation between the EU and Israel.
The S&D group’s call focused on suspending the pact as part of a wider demand for EU institutions to respond more strongly to developments in the Middle East.
Issues, including Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and the occupiers’ violent and illegal land grabs in the West Bank, have led many in the bloc to question why Israel should receive preferential treatment.
The S&D protest placed those concerns at the center of its demand, linking the suspension of the agreement with calls for sanctions on violent settlers, the creation of a Palestinian state, the reconstruction of Gaza and an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
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