Brussels – On the 622 day of the ongoing war on GazaAnd after the Palestinian martyrs exceeded 55 thousand – most of them women and children – they were held in Brussels Yesterday, Thursday, the European Council summit, in a political atmosphere charged with contradictions, and is officially silent about an internal report that condemns Israel with serious violations that may amount to “silent genocide”.
Unlike the strict European consensus, which was quickly directed towards Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine, it seemed European Union This time, helpless, divided and content with gray phrases at the end of the summit, despite a report issued by the “European External Labor” (EAS) holds Israel responsible for systematic violations ofFor International Human Law In Gaza.
This contrast in reactions around Ukraine andPalestine He raises sharp internal questions about the neutrality of the European Union, the credibility of its values, and the extent of its submission to the pressures of allies and economic and historical interests, at a time when human rights and diplomatic demands escalate to take more striking positions towards the crimes committed against Palestinian civilians.
In -level
Although the report, which was leaked by major platforms such as “Politico” and “Euronews”, described what Israel is doing as “a systematic violation of international humanitarian law”, and that the siege imposed on Gaza creates a “threat of a comprehensive famine” that may rise to a “silent genocide”, the final statement of the summit is satisfied with a general phrase stipulating “taking knowledge of the report”, without mentioning it by name With any actual action.
This sparked a wave of accusations within and outside the European Parliament, describing European positions as “collusion with the name of neutrality” and “retreating even from the moral minimum.”
The EAS report is based on international sources and decisions issued by International Court of JusticeAnd he concludes that Israel violated the provisions of international and humanitarian law, and flagrantly violated the second article of the partnership agreement with the European Union, which requires respect for human rights, but the European summit reaction did not rise to the level of the risk of content.
“The report of the European Diplomatic Department clearly documents serious violations committed by Israel, including a violation of the second article of the partnership agreement, yet no consequences were taken, and given the funding of the European Union of the Israeli Ministry of War, this is not a neutral but complicity,” the European Parliament MP Mark Putigha told Al -Jazeera Net.
Putija added to Al -Jazeera Net, that the “EAS” report is not a technical document, but rather it carries legal and political weight and is provided as a basis for the suspension of the agreement, and with the continuation of trade despite the union’s knowledge of these violations, legal responsibility may affect it.
Various situations
At the same summit, Spain and Belgium emerged as the most powerful, as the Spanish Prime Minister demanded Pedro Sanchez By “suspending the partnership agreement if his provisions related to human rights are not respected,” while his foreign minister stressed the necessity of “an immediate ceasefire and international investigation into the massacres.”
Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Hudja, confirmed to Abbib, that “what is going on in Gaza cannot be tolerated,” refusing to continue “dealing as usual with Israel.”
On the other hand, countries such as Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Italy refrained from supporting any formula that condemns Israel directly, which can be described as “weakness of the closing statement.”
For his part, Professor of International Relations at the University of Brussels, Professor Court Debove, explains to Al -Jazeera the roots of this frequency and says, “Countries like Germany, Austria and the Netherlands still feel a deep sin towards the Holocaust, which drives it to support Israel without conditions, and that the head of the commission is Ursula von der LineIt is German, adopts unbalanced situations, which increases the European division. “
Debove believes that the absence of a clear position on the European Union towards what is happening in Gaza “is strongly weakened by its credibility, especially in front of the Arab and Islamic world, which began to respond to this contradiction, calling on Europe to stop giving human rights lectures.”
Lowering or interests
“The summit, although the report, explicitly, has listed the follow -up on the schedule of foreign ministers in July.”
“The French position seemed fluent, as Paris refused to join the countries that demanded the suspension of the agreement despite their awareness of the seriousness of violations, the reason is a mixture of political caution and economic interests, especially arms exports.”
He added that the division this time is “real and deep, unlike previous crises such as Ukraine, as Hungary was alone.
Consoles concluded that the moment Washington withdraws from its international obligations, Europe is supposed to block this void. “But today, with its double speech towards Israel and Ukraine, it does not only lose its credibility, but also waste a rare opportunity to be a meaningful political force in the international system.”
He asked: Has the European Union already lost the ability to protect international law? Or did Gaza expose the limits of hypocrisy that will raise a lot of internal controversy for years?
For his part, MP Putinga believes that Europe’s submission to Washington will weaken its decisions, and says, “After a summit NATO The latter, I do not see a positive transformation, many European governments are hesitant to take a position against Israel for fear of the anger of the United States.
Humanitarian condemnation
The reactions were not limited to politicians, as major organizations such as Amnesty International have issuedHuman Rights Watch Severe statements, and the first described the delay in reviewing the agreement as a “moral catastrophe”, and the second saw that “the lack of suspension of cooperation with Israel despite this amount of violations puts the union in the silent collusion field.”
European legal institutions indicated that the Union may face cases before international courts, if it is proven that it is aware of violations that rise to war or genocide crimes, and though it continued in economic partnership and technical support.