110 former members of the European Parliament from almost all political groups have signed an open letter dated 10 August 2025 calling on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas
to call on EU member states to completely suspend the EU's association agreement with Israel.

The letter is documented below.

The original letter with the names of the signatories is available for download as a PDF file here.

To:

  • Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission,

  • Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign ABairs and Security Policy / Vice President of the European Commission

Former Members Letter demanding the EU suspend its Association Agreement with Israel

10 August 2025

Dear Madam President,
Dear High Representative / Vice President,

The current collective starvation of Gazans by the Israeli State is nothing short of a war crime. This violates the fundamental human rights on which all EU Association Agreements with third countries are based, thanks to the eMorts of the European Parliament over decades.

We welcome the belated decision by the Commission on 28 July to propose suspending Israel's participation in the EU's Horizon research programme. However, this is too little, too late. The Commission's own review in June clearly showed Israel's breach of Article 2 of the Agreement. In the absence of an end to the closure of border access to Gaza allowing unimpeded humanitarian access by the UN and associated NGOs we, as 110 former Members of the European Parliament, insist that the Commission urgently requests that Member States agree to fully suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Failure to do so risks violating Article 265 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union on the grounds of culpable inaction. Failure of Member States to agree to such a proposal would expose their complicity in this war crime.

Yours sincerely