Belgian lawmaker says 'conditions to suspend EU-Israel Agreement are met'

A Belgian lawmaker, Yvan Verougstraete, said Thursday that the conditions to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement have been met, citing concerns over illegal Israeli settlements and the presence of related products on the European market.

Verougstraete, a member of the European Parliament and president of Belgian party Les Engages, said violations linked to settlements, combined with questionable commercial practices, provide sufficient grounds to reconsider the agreement.

His remarks came after Israel’s reported authorization of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, which he described as illegal under international law.

"The conditions to suspend the EU–Israel Agreement are met," he said in a statement sent to the media, including Anadolu.

The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2000, includes a human rights clause stating that relations between the parties are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.

Verougstraete said the continued circulation of products originating from Israeli settlements in EU markets raises legal and ethical concerns.

"In this context, seeing products from these settlements entering the European market is simply unacceptable. This raises major legal, commercial, and ethical concerns," he said, arguing that such trade contributes economically to settlement expansion.

The Belgian lawmaker urged the EU to ensure consistency between its legal positions and trade practices.

"The European Union must not contribute, even indirectly, to the maintenance and development of situations that are illegal under international law," he noted.

Verougstraete said he has raised the issue with the European Commission, alongside fellow MEPs Ana Miranda Paz and Cecilia Strada.

He urged the commission to "take responsibility" and consider activating mechanisms within the agreement.

"Europe cannot condemn the illegality of the settlements on one hand, and continue to accept their products on the other. Consistency is not optional, it is an obligation," he stressed.

Violence by Israeli forces and occupiers in the West Bank has intensified since the Gaza war in October 2023, killing more than 1,148 Palestinians, wounding 11,750, and leading to 22,000 arrests.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.