By officially announcing a review of the association agreement between the European Union and Israel on Tuesday, May 20, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Kaja Kallas, made a powerful statement. Coming 19 months after the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis and led to hundreds of hostages being taken, and 18 months after Israel's government, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, launched the war in Gaza – a conflict that has largely destroyed the territory and killed more than 50,000 Palestinians – with this announcement the EU seemed, at last, willing to act, to bring an end to the tragedy that has been unfolding before its eyes.

Leading the effort, the Netherlands – a country that traditionally has close ties to Israel – managed to convince 16 other member states, including other allies of Israel, such as Austria and Slovakia, to request a review of the agreement that has governed the EU's trade and political relations with Israel since 2000. The Netherlands based its request on Article 2 of the agreement, which stipulates that relations between the two parties must be "based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy."

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