EU to review Israel agreement after 1.1 million sign petition calling to isolate Jewish state

The European Union (EU) is facing growing pressure to review its long-standing Association Agreement with Israel after more than 1.1 million EU citizens signed a petition - a move that could further strain Israel’s economic relationship with the European countries.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, announced Thursday that member states would meet with the petition’s organizers in the coming weeks, ahead of a public hearing at the European Parliament where calls to suspend ties with Israel will be discussed.

The petition was submitted by the European Left Alliance (ELA), an umbrella organization representing 11 left-wing political parties across the EU. The ELA accuses Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, a charge Jerusalem strongly rejects, emphasizing that it seeks to minimize civilian casualties during its military operations.

Signed in 1995 and in effect since 2000, the EU-Israel Association Agreement provides the legal framework for economic and political cooperation between Israel and the EU’s 27 member states. The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, while Israel ranks as the bloc’s 27th largest international trading partner. In 2025, bilateral trade between the two sides amounted to €43.3 billion ($47.73 billion).

The agreement has removed trade barriers and given many Israeli industrial and agricultural products preferential conditions to access European markets.

The latest push to review the agreement is part of a broader international campaign to economically isolate Israel over its military operations in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

However, the petition does not give its organizers the power to suspend the agreement or unilaterally sever the EU’s economic ties with Israel. Any move to suspend the arrangement would require coordinated action by EU member states, which remain deeply divided over their relations with the Jewish state.

The Netherlands, Ireland and Spain support suspending the trade agreement, while countries including the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Hungary oppose such a move.

Beyond trade, Israel also participates in Horizon Europe, the EU’s major research and innovation funding program. However, proposed EU eligibility rules for 2028 have raised concerns among Israeli officials that Israel could be excluded from scientific cooperation with Europe.