Universities call for suspension of EU-Israel agreement

Belgian universities have called on the European Union to suspend its association agreement with Israel. On Wednesday, the Flemish Interuniversity Council and the Rectors’ Council of French-speaking universities in Belgium sent a joint letter to Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot with the request, reports Belga News Agency.

On 20 May, the European Council will review whether Israel still respects Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This article states that “relations between the parties, as well as all the provisions of the agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights”.

In their letter, the universities argue that Israel is violating the agreement in light of its “relentless and internationally recognised human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank”. They therefore call for an immediate suspension of the agreement with the country. Furthermore, they ask Prévot to urge the European Commission to develop “a transparent and effective human rights test that allows new partnerships and renewals of existing partnerships to be proactively screened for potential human rights violations and their consequences”.
Full report on the Belga News Agency