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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2004, Official Report, column 753W, on the EU-Israel Association Agreement, whether Israel is in full compliance with the human rights conditions of the EU Israel Association Agreement; whether there is an equivalent trade agreement with the Palestinian Authority; and what the official (a) UK and (b) EU definition of sanctions is. [194830] Mr. MacShane: Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement states that "Relations between the Parties, as well as 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 this Agreement". We have raised our concerns about Israeli actions on human rights grounds with the Israeli Government both bilaterally and through the EU. Following the recent violence in Gaza, EU Foreign Ministers, at the 11 October General Affairs and External Relations Council, condemned "the disproportionate nature of the Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip". The EU has also regularly raised issues of concern, including human rights, at EU/Israel Association Councils. I can confirm that an interim trade agreement with the PLO has been agreed and is in force. Neither the UK nor the EU uses a particular definition of sanctions in the context of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. However, Article 79 of the EU/ Israel Association Agreement provides that a Party may take "appropriate measures" where either Party considers that the other Party has failed to fulfil an obligation under the Agreement.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

194830; 426 c74W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Human rights EU external trade Trade agreements Sanctions Israel

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk