Amnesty International has called on European Union countries not to supply Israel with weapons, in a letter addressed to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
The organization urged the European Union, in a letter published by the German News Agency (dpa) on Wednesday, not to invest or trade with Israeli colonies in the occupied Palestinian territories, which the International Court of Justice in The Hague has deemed illegal in a recent advisory opinion.
The organization’s call to tighten EU policy comes ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels to discuss the war on Gaza.
Last July, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s nearly 60-year occupation of Palestinian territories violates international law and must end as soon as possible.
The court, in a landmark opinion from the highest judicial body in the United Nations, although it is not legally binding, noted that Israel’s colony policy effectively constitutes illegal annexation.
It said, “Its members, including EU countries, have a responsibility not to support the policy of occupation or to accept the status quo created by Israel.”
The organization pointed out in its letter to Borrell that the European Union countries, by “supplying Israel with weapons, technology and equipment,” are not fulfilling this responsibility.
It also called on the European Commission to review the EU-Israel partnership agreement in terms of its compatibility with human rights obligations.
source: WAFA
