De Rossa wants EU-Israel trade pact suspended

Labour Party president and MEP for Dublin Mr Proinsias De Rossa is to call for the suspension of an EU-Israeli trade agreement…

Labour Party president and MEP for Dublin Mr Proinsias De Rossa is to call for the suspension of an EU-Israeli trade agreement in the European Parliament today.

The EU-Israel Association Agreement includes a declaration that the European Union, the member states and Israel are interested in promoting the integration of Israel's economy into the European economy.

However, in a statement released today Mr De Rossa said: "I have no doubt that the current EC-Israel Association Agreement should now be suspended. The actions of the Israeli Government to deny the Palestinians their human rights is in breach of that Agreement.

He said the EU had failed to uphold the so-called Origin Rules Protocol, whereby Israel is obliged to issue "proof of origin" for products made by settlers.

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He said: "The Commission is now saying that it will not be possible to include Israel in the 'Pan-European Cumulation arrangement' while Israel continues to misapply the Origin Rules Protocol in its existing Agreement."The EU's political will to maintain this position is not convincing to Israel, nor to many of us, while it fails to ensure the correct implementation of the existing Agreement," Mr De Rossa said.