International

1.3 million European citizens demand suspension of partnership agreement with Israel

Şerife Çetin, Muhammed Kılıç

July 16, 2026 • Updated: July 16, 2026

BRUSSELS

Brussels / Anadolu

- The European Citizens' Initiative succeeded in surpassing the one million signature threshold and reaching the minimum required number of signatures in at least 7 member states

- The initiative is one of the most prominent mechanisms that allow citizens direct democratic participation within the framework of the European Union

- Under the current system, the European Commission must examine any request that obtains one million valid signatures from a total of 7 or more member states

The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) calling for the suspension of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel reached about 1.3 million signatures on its final day, Wednesday.

An Anadolu correspondent reported the conclusion of the initiative, launched by the European Left Alliance on January 13, 2026, which demands the full suspension of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel, against the backdrop of Israel's 'genocide, occupation and apartheid' policies against the Palestinian people, in addition to its violation of international law and human rights.

The initiative managed to collect about 1.3 million signatures from citizens in 13 EU member states.

After being officially registered with the European Commission, the initiative succeeded in surpassing the one million signature threshold and reaching the minimum required number of signatures in at least 7 member states.

After the end of the signature collection phase, the verification phase will now begin.

Each EU member state will have two months to verify the signatures collected within its territory.

If the one million signature threshold is confirmed to have been reached or exceeded, the European Commission will be obliged to submit an official response to the initiative within six months.

The European Citizens' Initiative is one of the most prominent mechanisms that allow citizens direct democratic participation within the framework of the European Union.

Under the system in place since 2012, the European Commission must examine any request that obtains one million valid signatures from a total of 7 or more member states.

Although this mechanism does not oblige the Commission to submit a new legislative proposal, it forces it to clarify its political position on the issue in question and provide a reasoned response.

EU-Israel Association Agreement

The Association Agreement between the EU and Israel, which grants Tel Aviv special trade privileges, has been one of the most controversial files since October 8, 2023, with the start of Israel's genocide in Gaza.

After a long period during which EU institutions ignored popular calls to suspend the agreement, Brussels partially responded by launching an official review of the agreement last year.

This review was initiated by the Netherlands in May 2025, supported by Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

The review concluded that Israel committed violations of international law in the Gaza Strip, but the EU did not translate these findings into concrete political steps.

Proposals to impose limited sanctions on Israel were later frozen under the pretext of giving a chance to the ceasefire process.

It is worth noting that the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, with U.S. support, has resulted in the deaths of more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuries to more than 173,000, in addition to widespread destruction affecting about 90 percent of civilian infrastructure, with the United Nations estimating the cost of reconstruction at about $70 billion.