The European Union's (EU) refusal to suspend its association agreement with Israel has been denounced as a "cruel and unlawful betrayal# of European values by the head of Amnesty International. Agnes Callamard, the organization's Secretary General, criticized the EU for failing to take a unified stand against Israel's military actions in Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories. According to Callamard, the EU's decision allows Israel to continue 'genocide' in Gaza and maintain an 'unlawful occupation' of Palestinian lands while enforcing a system of apartheid against Palestinians. The criticism comes after EU foreign ministers met in Brussels and opted not to suspend their agreement with Israel, choosing not to implement any measures from a list of 10 options that included suspending preferential trade, imposing a weapons embargo, or placing sanctions on Israeli ministers. Amnesty International argues that the EU has found Israel guilty of violating human rights under the association agreement but has chosen to maintain a preferential trade deal instead of taking action to stop these violations. The organization emphasizes the precedence of international law over national and EU laws, citing an opinion from last July by the International Court of Justice which described Israel's occupation as illegal. Amnesty demands that EU member states unilaterally suspend cooperation with Israel, including a ban on arms exports and investments in Israeli settlements.