Amnesty International has called on EU foreign ministers to ensure that their meeting on 23 February with Nikolai Mladenov, Director-General of the Board of Peace and High Representative for Gaza, prioritizes the rights of Palestinians. The organization stressed that the EU must address the structural flaws of the Board of Peace mechanism and ensure its alignment with international human rights obligations.
Amnesty International warned that the Board of Peace represents a dangerous challenge to international law by attempting to create a parallel decision-making structure that bypasses the United Nations and global justice institutions. Erika Guevara-Rosas, the organization’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, emphasized that any EU engagement failing to place Palestinian rights at the center risks complicity in violations and the normalization of Israel’s ongoing unlawful occupation and apartheid policies in Gaza.
The escalation of violence in Gaza underscores the urgency of principled EU action. Following the resumption of Israel’s siege on Gaza in February 2025, deadly airstrikes killed hundreds of Palestinians, including children, while infrastructure damage and blockades cut off electricity, water, and medical services. The so-called “Yellow Line” in Gaza restricts access to fertile agricultural zones and displaces large numbers of Palestinians, exacerbating already dire living conditions. Israeli suspension of registration for 37 humanitarian NGOs threatens to close health facilities and halt essential aid.
In the occupied West Bank, Israel continued settlement expansion, demolitions, and state-backed settler violence, resulting in the displacement of dozens of communities. Arbitrary detention, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment remain widespread, and proposed legal changes could expand the use of the death penalty selectively against Palestinians. Amnesty International criticized the EU’s response as largely appeasing Israel while failing to enforce international law or protect Palestinian human rights.
The organization urged the EU to take concrete measures, including suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, imposing a comprehensive arms embargo, enacting targeted sanctions against Israeli officials, and ending trade and investment in illegal settlements. Amnesty highlighted that upholding international law at this moment is critical for both Palestinian protection and the EU’s credibility on the global stage.
The Board of Peace, launched on 19 February in Washington, aims to include 50 countries, with 35 leaders showing interest so far. Bulgaria and Hungary are members, while Cyprus, Czechia, Greece, Italy, and Romania participate as observers. Amnesty International’s position underscores the need for the EU to ensure that this mechanism does not marginalize Palestinians or undermine existing international legal frameworks.
