Amnesty International calls on EU countries to halt the sale of Israeli occupation bonds
Brussels, July 21 (KUNA) -- Amnesty International called on Tuesday on European Union countries to halt the sale of Israeli occupation bonds, noting that the occupation increasingly relies on foreign investments to fund genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation, as well as to finance its crimes against Palestinians. In a statement, the organization warned that allowing EU member states to sell Israeli occupation bonds in their financial markets exposes them to the risk of complicity in the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The statement quoted Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Europe, saying, “Israeli occupation bonds increase the funds available to the government, thereby contributing to the financing of genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip,” which has led to the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, and the forced displacement of 90 percent of the population.
Cockburn added that permitting the sale of these bonds in EU markets carries a heavy moral and legal cost, emphasizing that international law clearly obligates all states not to provide assistance in the commission of genocide, as well as to prevent it. He clarified that any EU member state’s approval of the trading of Israeli occupation bonds in European financial markets constitutes a form of financial facilitation that may amount to a breach of the international obligation to prevent genocide.
The statement noted that Israeli occupation bonds have been subject to regulation by the Luxembourg Financial Sector Supervisory Authority (CSSF) since September 2025 and are being offered to the public in Austria, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
It called on Luxembourg authorities to refuse to issue a new approved prospectus after the current one expires on August 31 next year, and urged all EU countries to refrain from accepting the transfer of the program or approving a new issuance prospectus. (End) A.R.N. / F.L.A.
