European Parliament approves deal with Israel to ease trade in medicines

European Union-certified pharmaceuticals will be exported to Israel and vice-versa without requiring additional certification in the importing country, under a deal endorsed by the Parliament on Tuesday, despite reservations that easing trade with Israel could send it the wrong political signal at this time.

After more than two years of extensive debate on whether upgrading trade relations might undermine the EU's firm condemnation of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved the mutual recognition deal with 379 votes in favour 230 against and 41 abstentions.

Critics including the European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP) had been urging MEPs to reject the deal because, they said, it "would reward Israel for its continued violations of international law. The EU and its member states would be in contravention of their obligations under international law if they were to allow products manufactured in Israeli settlements in Palestine to be traded in European markets, they said.