Europe in Motion: 1 Million Citizens Sign EU Petition to Sever Ties with Israel
European citizens are mobilising to demand the suspension of the European Union-Israel Association Agreement. In the latest announcement on Tuesday, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) has successfully gathered more than one million signatures on the petition.
It should be noted that the ECI is a mechanism within the European Union that allows citizens to directly propose policies. It operates by meeting several requirements, such as obtaining support from at least one million citizens from several EU member states.
If fulfilled, the European Commission is obliged to review the proposal, provide an official response, and may consider it for legislation. The European Commission will ultimately make the final decision.
Quoting Anadolu on Wednesday (15/4/2026), this is part of the “Justice for Palestine” campaign launched across the continent since January 2026. This result is the “fastest initiative to break the threshold” since the petition mechanism was introduced in the bloc.
The campaign has also exceeded the threshold for minimum national signatures in at least seven bloc countries. This is because the petition has been signed by citizens in 10 EU member states.
“One million people have spoken: the European Union must fully suspend its Association Agreement with Israel,” the organisers stated, urging supporters to continue mobilising towards a new target of 1.5 million signatures.
“The European Union must uphold international law and stop its involvement in Israel’s genocide,” they added.
“The gap between the demands of European citizens and the European Union’s leadership policies on Palestine continues to widen. The European Union must act,” the statement further read.
The European Union-Israel Association Agreement is the official cooperation pact between the European Union and Israel, regulating relations in trade, politics, economics, and other areas of cooperation. The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, with total goods trade reaching US$50.2 billion in 2024, equivalent to approximately Rp793.16 trillion.