PRESS RELEASE Paris, May 13, 2025
The association JURDI – Jurists for Respect for International Law – officially sent two letters of formal notice to the European Commission and the Council of the European Union on Monday, May 12, 2025, on the basis of Article 265 TFEU, for serious failure to act in the face of the proven risk of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
These formal notices are a continuation of:
- orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 26 January, 28 March and 24 May 2024, establishing a plausible, real and imminent risk of genocide; ;
- and arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli leaders for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
JURDI denounces the prolonged inaction of European institutions, even though urgent measures are needed. In particular, it demands:
- the immediate suspension of all cooperation agreements with Israel, including the association agreement and scientific programs; ;
- the adoption of targeted individual sanctions against the political and military officials involved; ;
- and the suspension of Israel's access to the SWIFT international payments system, in line with the precedents set against Russia in 2022.
Maintaining political, economic, and technical relations with a state implicated by the ICJ for such serious violations engages the international responsibility of the European Union. The silence of its institutions in the face of the undeniable facts, recognized by international courts and documented by UN mechanisms, constitutes a culpable failure to fulfill the obligation to prevent genocide, protect civilians, and respect international humanitarian law.
In the absence of a response and concrete measures within two months, JURDI will bring the matter before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failure to act, in order to establish the illegality of the current inaction.
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