LONDON

The European Commission registered a European Citizens' Initiative on Tuesday, demanding that the Commission fully suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement over Israeli violations of international law.

The organizers of the initiative were represented by Malin Bjork, a former member of the European Parliament.

The Commission said in a statement that although the conditions for registration are fulfilled, it does not imply that the Commission in any way confirms the factual correctness of the content of the initiative.

"The content of the initiative only expresses the views of the group of organizers and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Commission," it added.

The organizers said that Israel is responsible for an "unprecedented" level of killing and injury of civilians, a large-scale displacement of the population and the systematic destruction of hospitals and medical facilities in Gaza.

Also citing a blockade of humanitarian aid that could amount to starvation as a method of war, they noted that Israel is in breach of multiple rules and obligations under international law and fails to prevent the crime of genocide as ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

"Yet the European Union has still not suspended its association agreement with Israel, which is the cornerstone of EU-Israel bilateral trade, economic and political cooperation," they said.

They also noted that EU citizens "cannot tolerate" that the EU maintains an agreement that contributes to legitimizing and financing a state that commits crimes against humanity and war crimes.

"Therefore, we call on the Commission to put forward the proposal to the (European) Council for the full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement," they added.

The European Citizens' Initiative is a tool that allows EU citizens to propose new legislation and influence EU policy.

To launch a European Citizens' Initiative, citizens must collect at least one million signatures from at least seven different EU member states within 12 months. If successful, the European Commission must consider the proposal and explain its next steps.