A demonstration led by The Left group brought together MEPs, EU staff and activists for a ‘die-in’ at the European Parliament today as Commission and Council offer more empty reassurances.

Following the announcement by EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas that the EU-Israel Association Agreement would be ‘reviewed’, the Commission and Council address the European Parliament today. In a clear insult to the European Parliament and to the gravity of the situation, the Commission made the decision to send its most junior Commissioner, Glenn Micallef, who has no responsibility in the area of EU foreign policy, to speak on the topic in today’s plenary session.

Prior to the debate, MEPs from The Left, Greens and Socialists, activists and EU civil servants joined forces in protest outside the Parliament as the EU continues business as usual with trade and arms exports to Israel. Lying down dead outside the Parliament, MEPs and activists represented the tens of thousands murdered in Gaza by the IDF over the last 20 months.

Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Palestine, Lynn Boylan (Sinn Féin, Ireland) said: “It is crystal clear that Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement has been consistently breached by Israel as they have carried out a genocide in Gaza. The EU’s review process announced this week is simply a delaying tactic. The Association Council in February was an abject failure following which Israel continued to starve and murder Palestinians. We cannot see more of the same. We need to suspend this rotten agreement and place full sanctions on Israel. At the very least, the Council and Commission must be fully transparent on the timeline and what parameters they intend to use for this review”.

The Left demands an end to the aid blockade, full support for the crucial work of UNRWA, a complete stop to EU arms exports, and the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.