Afrasianet - Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy  Josep Borrell writes that Europe's silence has allowed the extermination of Palestinians to continue unchecked, undermining everything the Old Continent stands for, and called on its leaders to act now because their refusal to punish Israel makes them complicit in its crimes.

Borrell explained in an article in the Guardian newspaper that if international courts survive the attacks of US President Donald Trump, they will not issue their final verdict until years later, although there is no doubt that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza, where it is slaughtering and starving civilians after systematically destroying all infrastructure in the Strip.

He recalled that the settlers and the Israeli army continue their grave violations of international law andinternational humanitarian law in  the West Bank andEast Jerusalem on a daily basis, noting that those who do not act to stop this genocide and these violations – while having the ability to do so – are considered complicit in them.

Borrell stressed that the EU has many tools that it can use to significantly influence the Israeli government, as it is its largest trading partner, its main partner in investment and trade between peoples, and it is one of its main suppliers of arms.

Although the EU-Israel Association Agreement grants  the latter many privileges, its second article requires respect for international law andfundamental human rights, making its non-suspension a serious violation of this agreement and seriously damaging the Union's geopolitical standing, not only in the Muslim world, but around the world.

Double standards

Russian President Vladimir Putin has exploited  the  stark contrast between the European authorities' firm response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine and their passivity in the face of the war in Gaza, in propaganda that has been successful in the Sahel region, and this European double standard has significantly weakened support for Ukraine in many developing countries.

Borrell summarized the actions of the European Union and its countries that discredit the continent in the eyes of the world and undermine international law and the multilateral order that they are supposed to defend:

•    The European Union's insistence on not suspending the Association Agreement despite Israel's violation of it.
•    It has not prevented arms shipments despite war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.
•    It has not banned imports from illegal settlements despite the decisions of the International Court of Justice.
•    It has not imposed sanctions on Israeli ministers and political leaders who make genocidal statements.
•    The EU has not prevented Netanyahu from using European airspace despite the ICC's arrest warrant. 
•    Lack of support for the ICC's judges and U.N. officials sanctioned by the United States.

As the EU comes under attack from Putin in the east and Trump in the west, it is deepening its isolation from the rest of the world, and therefore must decide to impose sanctions on Israel without delay, because that is the only language that can force Israeli leaders to stop committing their crimes.

Israel is in the crosshairs of European criticism. The humanitarian blockade in Gaza is a shame

In this context, international criticism continues against Israel for preventing the entry of humanitarian aid into  the Gaza Strip, in addition to the scenes of suffering and deprivation experienced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, while Israel continues to obstruct the passage of aid trucks.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Brevot said the images from the Gaza Strip were outrageous, that the humanitarian blockade was shameful, and that the deliberate starvation of the population was a war crime.

For its part, the Swedish Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador in Stockholm for the second time in 24 hours to reiterate the need for the Israeli government to immediately and unhindered the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry said that the denial of food and aid to civilians was unjustifiable and that what was happening now represented the worst humanitarian situation since October 7, 2003.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was deeply concerned by the Israeli army's intensification  of  its activities in the Gaza Strip and was horrified by the terrible suffering of civilians in the Strip.

At a press conference in the Finnish city of Turku with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Meretz stressed that they continue to defend Israel's right to exist without any exceptions, but that they are also concerned about the situation in Gaza.

"There is no contradiction in saying that we are deeply concerned by the Israeli army's intensification of its military activities in Gaza, and at the same time we are horrified by the terrible suffering of the civilian population there," he said.

He explained that they are in close dialogue with the Israeli government, and ask it to allow humanitarian aid to enter, ensure food security, and ensure the supply of water and food to the people in Gaza.

Stopping the genocide

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the genocide and humanitarian tragedy in Gaza must stop immediately, otherwise it would be impossible to prevent the chaos that would also engulf Israel. 

During a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow,  Fidan added that the international community  should make every effort to succeed again in the test in which he failed.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen  also stressed  that the expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza, targeting civilian infrastructure, is highly unacceptable.

The European Commission's support for Israel's right to security and self-defense continues, but escalation and the disproportionate use of force against civilians cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law.

The European Union last week launched a review of the association agreement with Israel against the backdrop of alleged human rights abuses in Gaza, after 17 of its 27 countries supported the move.

With the unequivocal support of the United States, since October 7, 2023, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza, which has left about 177,000 Palestinians martyred and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced people.