Protesters urge EU not to normalize ties with Israel amid Gaza ceasefire

BRUSSELS

A group of protesters on Monday staged an overnight sit-in outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, urging the EU not to normalize relations with Israel and to maintain pressure on Tel Aviv amid the ongoing Gaza ceasefire.

Carrying sleeping bags and umbrellas, the demonstrators spent the night in front of the commission building, demanding that the EU hold Israel accountable for alleged war crimes in Gaza and suspend its association agreement with the country.

Police intervened at times as protesters displayed banners reading, "We've been here for 25 hours non-stop," and "End EU complicity."

Speaking to Anadolu, the protesters' spokesperson and activist Laura Sullivan said the demonstration aimed to push the EU to take stronger action against Israel.

"The aim of the protest is to get the EU to terminate the EU-Israel Association Agreement, or otherwise known as the trade agreement," she said.

"Clearly, there is a massive issue, in the sense that the ceasefire is very partial. It's just the first stage. There has been no justice for genocide, and in all of this, the question is, what is the European Union going to do?" she added.

The European Commission, following almost two years of silence on Israel's actions in Gaza, proposed sanctions on Sept. 10 targeting Israel and its far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

The measures would suspend provisions under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, restrict the free movement of goods, and impose customs duties on Israeli products, as well as sanctions on individuals involved in the occupation of Palestinian territories.

The proposal requires qualified majority approval among EU member states.

EU leaders are expected to discuss the bloc's stance on the issue at their Oct. 23 summit.