Palestinian NGOs slam Israel-EU ties upgrade

Eighty Palestinian non-governmental organizations on Wednesday issued a statement criticizing the EU's recent decision to strengthen relations with Israel. The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) sent a letter to the EU's offices in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, expressing its "increased concerns" over the decision " at a time when Israel increasingly violates all human rights deals and treaties," the statement by PNGO said. "The EU must impose sanctions on Israel and work on isolating it instead of rewarding it for its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people," the statement said. In July, the EU and Israel agreed to expand cooperation in 60 new fields, mainly economy and energy. The EU links upgrading its ties with Israel to progress made in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and its stance has been supporting the Palestinian demand of an independent state alongside Israel, with East Jerusalem as a capital. The Palestinian organizations said that the recent upgrade in cooperation fields constitutes "a setback" to the equitation that partnership between the EU and Israel is correlated to improvements in Israel's human rights record.