Urgent Action Alert!! - Against the EU-Israel Association Agreement

The European Parliament (EP) has recently announced that a vote will be held on December 4 to enter into force the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which will enable far greater Israeli participation in European Community programs. 

Originally, the EU had stated that the vote on this issue would not take place until 2009, but it seems clear that the EU and Israel are attempting to minimize the voice of international civil society by suddenly announcing that it has been moved up to December 4. 

The proposed agreement offers to Israel full access to the EU scientific, academic, research and technical programmes, and will significantly deepen EU-Israeli cooperation and integration in many important sectors.  It ignores the fact that these sorts of cooperation agreements that increase Israel’s relationships with the international community are one of Israel’s primary means of its ongoing occupation, the displacement of and systematic racial discrimination against the Palestinian people.  By engaging in this agreement, the EU sends the message that it effectively condones the Israeli apartheid regime, and that it will not challenge Israel on its massive violations of Palestinian rights.  

It is urgent that all civil society organizations, and especially those in Europe, take action against the EU-Israel Association Agreement.  We must not submit to the EU and Israel’s attempt to manipulate the democratic process by silencing the voice of civil society.  We must respond to this injustice, and we must ensure that our collective voice to oppose the agreement is heard loud and clear.

We therefore ask you to:

1) Send a letter or a fax to your MEP (Pro forma letter attached below. Click here for a list of MEPs);

2) Phone your MEP or meet with them in person;

3) Have your organization, institution, union, or network endorse the Palestinian BNC call against the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and send it to your MEP. (To view the BNC call, click here.)