The EU has a chance next week to end complicity in Gaza genocide

Nearly two years into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the European Union’s position has shifted from passive observation – punctuated by occasional statements of condemnation and concern – into overt complicity. This transformation is no longer a matter of debate; the evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable.

International courts, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), have issued landmark rulings on Israel's illegal occupation, apartheid, and crimes against humanity, including a ‘plausible’ risk of genocide. The ICJ called on states, including the EU, to move beyond rhetorical gestures.

Indeed, it obliges the EU to put an end to the illegal occupation by cutting economic, political, diplomatic and military ties — at a minimum, banning trade with illegal settlements, and imposing an arms embargo.

Additionally, between 2015 and 2024, the UN adopted over 250 resolutions censuring Israel – more than any other country – at both the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

Reports from Palestinian and international organisations that have documented settler-colonial violence and apartheid, which have been grounded in first-hand testimony and rigorous documentation, have painted a harrowing picture of life under occupation. In Gaza, for the past two years, Palestinians have harnessed every available means of communication – from livestreaming attacks to sharing images of unimaginable loss - in a desperate plea for global action, including from Europe, as Israel’s main economic partner.

Yet, the EU has failed to translate concern into meaningful action. Most recently, the leaked EUobserver report revealed “indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations”. This warning joins a growing stack of ignored documents.

‘Dialogue’ is perpetuating impunity

Following the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 23 June, Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, stated her intention to continue dialogue with Israel over its violations. She claimed this was necessary “to change the situation on the ground and help the humanitarian aid get in and help the people.” On the same day, the EU announced the release of €202 million to the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA.

Since then, Israel’s massacres have continued unabated. Israeli forces killed over 2000 people including hundreds of women, men and children seeking aid.

Among those killed were my father’s cousin, Omar Abusalama – a kind farmer deeply connected to the land – and my mother’s cousin, Bilal Abu Louz, whose brother was killed five months earlier. One of the many Israeli airstrikes targeted Osama Ben Zeid School, a school turned shelter for displaced families in northern Gaza’s Al Saftawi area. The school is just 100 meters from our family’s five-story building, which has now been reduced to rubble.

Furthermore, Israel’s ongoing blockade has stopped urgent necessities from entering the Gaza Strip for over four months, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. There are so many who survive Israeli military attacks only to then be murdered in silence in other forms. They are left to succumb to malnutrition, absence of medicine, overwhelming psychological trauma, and dehydration.

The consequences of EU inaction

For decades – and especially during the past 641 days of assault on Gaza – the EU has had multiple opportunities to align its actions with its stated values and principles. Instead, it has decided to ignore them, erasing whatever remains of its reputation as a champion of human rights.

The outcome of the latest EU Foreign Affairs Council has reduced the killing of over 56,000 people (including more than 17,000 children) and disappearance of at least 11,000 others, to little more than a topic for diplomatic discussion between Brussels and Israel.

EU leaders have grown increasingly out of touch with public opinion. Over the past 21 months, millions across Europe have protested, demanding that the EU take meaningful action to end its support for Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the ongoing violence.

Protesters have called for immediate sanctions and the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Yet, the EU continues to frame the crisis in Gaza as a purely humanitarian issue, as if it were a natural disaster, rather than acknowledging the direct impact of Israel’s actions and policies, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war.

Moreover, many European leaders have sought to deceive the public, acting as if tens of billions of dollars generated by the EU-Israel Association Agreement have ‘little to do’ with Israel’s atrocities.

The EU’s decision to release funds for “supporting the Palestinian people” on the same day it chose to pursue dialogue with Israel is insulting. The EU cannot claim to support Palestinians under the banner of ‘humanitarianism’ while simultaneously maintaining political and economic ties with Israel that contribute to Palestinian suffering, murder and displacement.

Palestinians have always made it clear: they are not seeking temporary relief, but a lasting solution that delivers justice and ends occupation, apartheid, and settler-colonialism.

On 15 July, at the upcoming EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the EU has another chance to uphold its claimed humanist values and commitment to people. The EU must be honest with itself and its citizens. If it fails to impose sanctions including the suspension of the EU-Israeli Association Agreement – at the very least, as the public demands – the EU’s role in Israel’s ongoing atrocities in Palestine will remain a permanent stain on Europe’s history. Future generations will carry the burden of the choices their leaders make today.

Tamam Abusalama is a Palestinian communications professional, born and raised in Jabalia Refugee Camp, and currently living in Belgium. Her work includes campaigning for refugee rights.

Follow her on Twitter/X: @TamamBeitJirja