EU-Israel Association Agreement: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-28
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Fiona O'Loughlin (FF), Administrative Panel

I move:
That Seanad Éireann:
- expresses its deepest concern regarding several measures by the Israeli Government, including executive decisions, military decisions and laws adopted by the Knesset, that contravene human rights and violate international law and international humanitarian law;
- deplores the fact that direct calls for the Government of Israel to fully comply with its international and moral obligations, and to revert those measures, have been ignored;
- accepts the need of the European Union (EU) to uphold its moral and political responsibility, and to defend the very core values that have underpinned the European project since its foundation;
- agrees that respect for human rights must remain a fundamental pillar and guiding principle of all our actions and of all EU relationships with partners;
- believes that the European Union can no longer remain silent or inactive in the face of such breaches; and
condemns: -
- the shocking treatment of EU citizens from the Sumud Flotilla, illegally detained by Israeli Defence Forces in international waters;
- the unacceptable behaviour of Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who has posted videos of their mistreatment on social media; and
recognises that the recent approval of the death penalty by the Israeli Parliament is:
- a grave violation of fundamental human rights;
- a step backwards in Israel’s commitment to democratic principles;
- a violation of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement;
- an additional step in the systematic persecution, oppression, violence and discrimination exerted against the Palestinian population; and further recognises that:
- conditions in Gaza are unbearable, marked by continuous violations of the ceasefire agreement and the clearly insufficient entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip;
- the situation in the West Bank is rapidly deteriorating, with escalating violence against Palestinians;
- radical settlers are acting with absolute impunity, and alongside ongoing military operations by the Israel Defense Forces, resulting in the intolerable deaths of innocent civilians;
- statements by extremist Ministers of the Israeli Government are inciting dangerous levels of violence;
- the ongoing expansion of Israeli illegal settlements in the West Bank is a deliberate attempt to undermine the viability of the two-state solution, a policy to which the EU is committed, and to secure the long-term security of the region;
- recurrent attacks against religious freedom and its exercise by Muslims and Christians are challenging the traditional status quo of the Holy Land;
- the interception of civilian vessels by Israeli forces and the illegal detention and treatment of those onboard are the latest examples of a pattern of behaviour that has seen Israel’s growing disregard for international norms and its failure to meet its obligations under international law;
- these developments are causing unacceptable human suffering, undermining the implementation of the two-state solution and threatening the viability of the Palestinian state;
- the military operations being carried out with absolute disregard for international law and international humanitarian law, are destroying civilian infrastructure and forcing Lebanese citizens to leave their homes with no prospect of coming back, and must stop immediately;
- more than 1.2 million people have already been forced to leave their homes, according to the United Nations, further aggravating the humanitarian crisis;
- statements by Israeli authorities, announcing the intentions of occupying the Lebanese territory south of the Litani River, and to obliterate the houses of the Lebanese civil population is a flagrant violation of international law; and
understands that:
- the European Union cannot continue with a ‘business as usual’ approach to Israel, when it behaves in a way that is so fundamentally at odds with our basic principles and values as a Union;
- there has been a clear assessment by the European External Action Service that Israel is not in line with its obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement; and
calls for: -
- the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:01+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-28