Former European officials urge suspension of EU-Israel agreement

More than 350 former European officials, including ministers, ambassadors and senior EU figures, have called for the suspension of the EU’s association agreement with Israel over what they described as serious human rights violations against Palestinians. In an open letter issued on Wednesday, the signatories said Israel continues, in their view, policies of illegal occupation of Palestinian land, pointing to ongoing settlement activity, violence, and worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. The signatories, including former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, said the Israeli government is violating the core principles on which the European Union is founded, adding that it remains legally and morally responsible as an occupying power. READ: European petition exceeds one million signatures to suspend EU-Israel agreement […]