On our television screens, our smartphones and in the headlines, we are living in a time where crisis is being documented in real-time from news reporters and those experiencing violence and oppression on the ground.
The siege on Gaza is tearing families apart in grief where mainly women and children are victims of Israeli bombardment.
What we are in witnessing in Palestine is violence and oppression that the European Union (EU) is complicit in, as member states embolden, whether directly or indirectly, Israel’s continued blockage on aid and attacks on hospitals, schools and even declared humanitarian ‘safe-zones’. In a previous blog post (read that here) I spoke about the EU’s failure to call out Israel’s disproportionate attacks on Gaza and uphold the very principles it was founded on.
Europe is Israel’s largest trading partner and Israel benefits from its privileged access to European markets under the EU-Israel Association Agreement (1995). Additionally, The 2004 European Neighbourhood Policy of which Israel is a beneficiary offers opportunities for more enterprise/market opportunities – all of this means the EU has significant leverage on Israel to stop its onslaught on the Palestinian people.
Fundamental to these agreements and policies is the rightful declaration that the EU should not implicate itself in any actions that breach international humanitarian law and must also ensure that the benefits of co-operation are used in the proper spirit of this law.
The EU’s failure to even follow its own policy in the face of such human rights violations makes for loud silence.
Just last month, in a landmark statement, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is against international law and that Israel should stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its “illegal” occupation of those areas and the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.
What is also very important in the ICJ’s ruling, relates to the global community, to all of us watching – The court has advised states to avoid any actions, including providing aid or assistance, that would maintain the current situation.
Continuing to trade with Israel goes against European principles and indeed our own Irish identity with a shared history with Palestine. After months of bloodshed, with 40,000 people killed, calls for a ceasefire are continuously falling on deaf ears – The EU and the Irish government should take real tangible action, by way of economic sanctions and breaks in partnerships, to force Israel to be accountable for its crimes.
It is time for Europe to longer be a bystander.
Last week, Taoiseach Simon Harris said the “world is standing at the precipice of a horrific moment” and referred to the human rights clauses, calling for an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement amid, what he said, is “growing evidence of a prolonged humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. (RTE, 2024)
These are much needed words and signal an opportunity for Ireland to lead the way for Europe to respect human rights in all aspects of its work. The government should be steadfast in this and amplify calls for justice and peace.
Palestine is a major humanitarian crisis of our time, and the EU is at a crossroad which will determine its integrity and place as a champion of democracy and human rights.
We should all remind them of that.
Photo credit: @abubakrjpg