Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has said that Israel should not be considered a country that is safe to handle the personal information of people living in Europe.

Boylan made her comments after writing to Michael McGrath, the European Commissioner for Justice, the rule of law and Consumer Protection, to raise the issue.

MEP Boylan said:

“I have urged commissioner McGrath to immediately suspend Israel’s status as a country that is adequate to handle the personal information of people living in Europe.

“Given the rampant privacy violations carried out by Israel on the citizens of Palestine, including using its ‘Lavender’ AI system to identify over 30,000 ‘potential targets’, as well as its long documented surveillance of those living in the occupied territories, it is clear that they do not respect privacy laws, let alone how it treats international law and human rights.

“Abiding by these laws is a key part of being considered an adequate country to process the data of those living in the EU, so why is Israel held to a different standard than other countries?

“The EU’s lack of action in taking real steps to hold Israel to account has damaged its credibility around the world.

“The new commissioner has the opportunity to do the right thing and immediately suspend Israel’s status as a country that can safely process data. Sending a clear signal that Israel can and will be held accountable for its actions.”