Far-Left Parties Pressure European Union To End Trade Agreement With Israel

The Anti-Israel European Left Alliance is demanding the suspension of a long-standing trade agreement between the European Union and Israel accusing it of genocide in Gaza.The deal between Israel and the European Union was agreed to in 1995 — in effect since 2000 — with the aim to strengthen trade and technological cooperation. The two governments are major trading partners with more than a third of Israel’s imports originating from European Union member states, and nearly 29 percent of Israeli exports flowing to countries in the bloc.The alliance is an umbrella group representing 11 left-wing parties across Europe. The effort organized under the banner Justice for Palestine, collected more than 1.1 million signatures across European Union countries, with more than a quarter of them obtained in France. Italy and Spain collected the next highest number of signatures.The petition exceeded the required national thresholds in ten member states — three more than the minimum of seven required under the central government’s rules. The petition fell short of the threshold in Germany, the most populated country in the European Union. The petition only reached 10 percent of the threshold in Hungary, and other member states with the least support for the measure included Austria and the Baltic states.The minimum signatures were reached in April but it took alliance members until Thursday to formally present the citizens’ petition to the European Commission. The commission can reject the measure but it has six months to respond and give reasons for its decision. The deadline for a response is May 12, 2027.The petition campaign used a mechanism which enables European citizens to call on the commission to put forward legislative proposals. Organizers say its petition reached the minimum million signatures in just three months, the fastest ever for a citizen initiative in the bloc. There have been more than 125 initiatives in the past decade, but only 14 other petitions have collected enough signatures.The European Left Alliance funded the drive. Its representatives will meet with the European Commission in coming weeks to discuss the request in more detail. The European Parliament will then conduct a public hearing.Supporters claimed that Israel is responsible for “an unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians, a large-scale displacement of population and the systematic destruction of hospitals and medical facilities in Gaza.” They also cited a blockade of humanitarian aid that “could amount to starvation as a method of war.”Israeli forces attacked Gaza after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on October 7 2023, killing more than a thousand people and kidnapping some 250 people back into Gaza. Under a ceasefire agreement, Israel remains in control of nearly 70 percent of Gaza territory.The European Commission is not expected to make any immediate changes to the trade agreement, Politico Europe reported. The commission most recently rejected another citizens’ initiative that sought to expand abortion funding.

Far-Left Parties Pressure European Union To End Trade Agreement With Israel

Far-Left Parties Pressure European Union To End Trade Agreement With Israel

More from the New York Sun

Trump’s Opportunity at the UN

Schumer Faces Revolt as Van Hollen Launches Leadership Challenge

House Leaders Threaten Ousted Nvidia Chief Jensen Huang With Subpoenas If He Does Not Appear for Testimony

Nigerian Christians Face ‘Atrocity’ With No Protection From ‘Appalling’ Muslim Militia, State Department Warns Congress

Fear of Democrats Fails To Sway Voters Let Down by Trump and Vance’s Abandonment of Free-Market Principles

Ex-Columbia Professor Chides Incoming DSA Congresswoman for Not Hating America Enough

Stephen Miller’s Rise From Santa Monica Liberal to White House Chief of Staff

Womanizer Jensen Huang Undermined America’s National Security

More from the New York Sun

Trump’s Opportunity at the UN

Schumer Faces Revolt as Van Hollen Launches Leadership Challenge

House Leaders Threaten Ousted Nvidia Chief Jensen Huang With Subpoenas If He Does Not Appear for Testimony

Nigerian Christians Face ‘Atrocity’ With No Protection From ‘Appalling’ Muslim Militia, State Department Warns Congress

Fear of Democrats Fails To Sway Voters Let Down by Trump and Vance’s Abandonment of Free-Market Principles

Ex-Columbia Professor Chides Incoming DSA Congresswoman for Not Hating America Enough

Stephen Miller’s Rise From Santa Monica Liberal to White House Chief of Staff

Womanizer Jensen Huang Undermined America’s National Security