JJP lobbies EU embassies again: the “verbal agreement“ without doubt is an Israeli ploy
On 27 July, JJP again wrote to the EU Ambassador to the UK and the Ambassadors of all the EU member states. It was now beyond reasonable doubt that Israel used the “verbal agreement” to play the Commission so that no proposal to hold Israel to account was made at the Council meeting on 15 July.
Our letter
His Excellency – —— ——- 27 July, 2025
Ambassador, Embassy of ———-
Dear Ambassador —————-,
We are writing further to our letter and annex of 21 July. Seventeen days have now elapsed since the “verbal agreement” between High Representative Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister Saar. OCHA has produced two weekly reports since then.1
The first week’s sharp fall in deaths and injuries at the GHF sites has been completely reversed. Deaths and injuries have risen by 23% and 48% respectively above the average of the six weeks before the “verbal agreement”. Deaths and injuries in all the rest of Gaza have continued to rise. Consequently, total deaths and injuries in all of Gaza have risen by 18%. and 42% respectively above the average of the six weeks before the “verbal agreement”.
It is now beyond reasonable doubt that Israel used the “verbal agreement” to play the Commission so that no proposal to hold Israel to account was made at the Council meeting on 15 July, while continuing to apply maximum, lethal pressure on the Palestinians to make them leave Gaza. The Israeli plan to concentrate them into a camp in Rafah before they “voluntarily migrate” to other countries is ethnic cleansing by another name..2
Casualties are now avreaging 92 deaths and 491 injuries per day. This horrendous rate should not serve to minimse the equally unacceptable rate of 55 deaths and 155 injuries a day in the two months between Israel breaking the ceasefire and the start of GHF operations. That too was flouting the principals of proportionality and discrimination central to protection of civilans in time of war.1
Experience has shown that very strong action will be necessary to compel Israel to change course. Repeated EU reviews will not be enough. We concur with the 60 MEPs who wrote to High Representative Kallas demanding an emergency meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council be convened immediately to propose action against Israel. The EU should not be deterred by today’s Israeli concession of “tactical pauses”, made only because of the mounting international revulsion at its actions.
It is clear to all that Israel has been breaching the human rights requirements of Article 2 by its very method of waging war on Gaza, not just in the last five months..High Representative Kallas must take all that into into account. She should propose suspending those parts of the EU-Israel Association Agreement that provide Israel with substantial material benefits. Pre-eminent among them is the tariff-free status of Israeli imports into the EU.
Arthur Goodman
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Officer
1. Our updated calculations spreadsheet based on the OCHA data is also attached to our email.