1. DOES ISRAEL COMPLY WITH THE HUMAN STANDARDS IN ARTICLE 2 OF
THE EU-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT?
Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement (2000)
“Relations between the parties, as well as all the provisions of the agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles,
which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of [the] agreement.”
EU PREFERENTIAL WITH ISRAEL
TRADE INSPITE of Art. 2?
SETTLEMENT EXPANSION & HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS INSPITE Art. 2?
Settlement population steadily grew over two
decades in all Palestinian territories.
Despite continual human rights violations to
Palestinians in the settlements, we can
observe a persistent marginal increase in
trade.
NORMATIVE IMPLICATIONS?
Israel's trade with the EU occupies
approximately one third of Israel’s
total foreign trade value
The increase of trade value in 2000 was
influenced by the Association Agreement, which
took effect on June 1, 2000. However, the
declines in following years can, in part, be
accounted for by the EU’s official response to
Israel's human right violations in the Second
Intifada.
The violation of human rights by the
settlements expansion suggests a breach of
several articles in The European Charter of
Fundamental Rights, which after the Lisbon
Treaty is legally binding such as Article 17(1) .
Thus, the EU’s preferential trade toward Israel
may in fact be compromising the EU’s ability
to act as a normative power by undermining
its own principles and values.
Settler violence has sharply increased, while Palestinian
violence towards settlers has decreased by 95%.
According to the EU, a dual system of law extending
greater rights to Israeli settlers than local Palestinians
accounts for an increase in settler violence. The dual
system extends the rights of the Israeli Penal Law to
settlers while Palestinians living on the same ground
are subject to military law. The likelihood of criminal
offenses by Israeli settlers increases by the imposition
of this dual system of law as 92% of cases of settler
violence are dropped by the Israeli authorities.
(Statistics from The Jerusalem Fund 2012)
It stands to reason that, in light of Israel’s
violation of Art. 2 of the Association
Agreement, the international perception
of the legitimacy of the EU as a
normative power - within the rubric of
global governance – has been called into
question.
Diana Boteanu
Elizabeth Edwards
Evert Jan
Jia Li
Raluca Pasarica
Ivan Penkov
Souce: UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and Eurostat
SOUCE: The Central Bureau of Statistic (Israel)
SOURCE: Eurostat
SOURCE: Foundation for Middle East Peace (2012) and Eurostat
SOURCE: Foundation for Middle East Peace (2012)
SOURCE: THE ECONOMIST Can two become one? (2013)
![DOES ISRAEL COMPLY WITH THE HUMAN STANDARDS IN ARTICLE 2 OF
THE EU-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT?
Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement (2000)
“Relations between the parties, as well as all the provisions of the agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles,
which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of [the] agreement.”
EU PREFERENTIAL WITH ISRAEL
TRADE INSPITE of Art. 2?
SETTLEMENT EXPANSION & HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS INSPITE Art. 2?
Settlement population steadily grew over two
decades in all Palestinian territories.
Despite continual human rights violations to
Palestinians in the settlements, we can
observe a persistent marginal increase in
trade.
NORMATIVE IMPLICATIONS?
Israel's trade with the EU occupies
approximately one third of Israel’s
total foreign trade value
The increase of trade value in 2000 was
influenced by the Association Agreement, which
took effect on June 1, 2000. However, the
declines in following years can, in part, be
accounted for by the EU’s official response to
Israel's human right violations in the Second
Intifada.
The violation of human rights by the
settlements expansion suggests a breach of
several articles in The European Charter of
Fundamental Rights, which after the Lisbon
Treaty is legally binding such as Article 17(1) .
Thus, the EU’s preferential trade toward Israel
may in fact be compromising the EU’s ability
to act as a normative power by undermining
its own principles and values.
Settler violence has sharply increased, while Palestinian
violence towards settlers has decreased by 95%.
According to the EU, a dual system of law extending
greater rights to Israeli settlers than local Palestinians
accounts for an increase in settler violence. The dual
system extends the rights of the Israeli Penal Law to
settlers while Palestinians living on the same ground
are subject to military law. The likelihood of criminal
offenses by Israeli settlers increases by the imposition
of this dual system of law as 92% of cases of settler
violence are dropped by the Israeli authorities.
(Statistics from The Jerusalem Fund 2012)
It stands to reason that, in light of Israel’s
violation of Art. 2 of the Association
Agreement, the international perception
of the legitimacy of the EU as a
normative power - within the rubric of
global governance – has been called into
question.
Diana Boteanu
Elizabeth Edwards
Evert Jan
Jia Li
Raluca Pasarica
Ivan Penkov
Souce: UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and Eurostat
SOUCE: The Central Bureau of Statistic (Israel)
SOURCE: Eurostat
SOURCE: Foundation for Middle East Peace (2012) and Eurostat
SOURCE: Foundation for Middle East Peace (2012)
SOURCE: THE ECONOMIST Can two become one? (2013)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/ec88c5f9-9fc3-4a48-857d-529d1504fab1-150521132626-lva1-app6892/85/poster-1-320.jpg)
