Europe is at a crossroads. It has become something of a cliché to say so, but it remains true. The European Union faces a defining test of whether it will uphold international law, human rights and the rules-based order, and nowhere is that more apparent than in its policy toward Palestine.
The scale of the human suffering in Gaza is well documented. A United Nations Commission has described Israel's actions there as genocide, while experts have condemned unlawful settlement expansion in the West Bank and Israel's illegal invasion of Lebanon in breach of the U.N. Charter.
Those who stand for human rights and international law had hoped that such developments would elicit a meaningful response from European institutions, rather than the equivocation and inaction that have charactFerized their approach to date.
This article is part of The Parliament's "Guide to Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the EU."
Europe's credibility gap
The EU's relationship with Israel is having a profoundly damaging effect on its credibility around the world and among its own citizens.
Germany, for the first time in decades, failed to win a seat on the U.N. Security Council. Berlin's support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is seen as having contributed to that outcome. The political and diplomatic cover the EU has provided to the Israeli government represents a failure to uphold international law and has come at a diplomatic cost to Europe.
When the EU negotiates trade agreements and seeks binding human rights provisions, its partners are unlikely to take those commitments seriously if they see Israel repeatedly violated Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement without substantial consequences.
Similarly, it becomes harder for EU member states to be taken seriously when they call on the U.N. General Assembly to defend international law.
Change of course
The EU needs to change course, and the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU can and must play a leading role in delivering that shift.
First, the European Commission must advance concrete proposals to address illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič should put forward a legislative proposal under the common commercial policy to ban the import of goods and services originating from Israeli settlements — a minimum measure called for in the International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion.
Second, if the EU truly wants to take action on illegal settlements, it needs to reframe the discussion. The establishment and expansion of settlements involve the appropriation of land that is unlawful under international law. Those who participate in, facilitate or provide material support for settlement activity should be subject to EU sanctions.
Moreover, Ireland must work to build consensus for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The agreement has been consistently breached, and the integrity of international law is at stake.
Finally, the Irish presidency must keep Palestine at the top of the agenda and prioritize areas where Brussels has seen little action. These include advocating for a two-way arms embargo, ending Israel's participation in Horizon Europe and holding the Israeli government accountable for EU-funded infrastructure that has been destroyed.
The EU must finally stand up for international law and human rights. Its leaders must take their obligations seriously and listen to their citizens, who have repeatedly demanded concrete action. More than 1.2 million citizens have now signed the European Citizens' Initiative calling on the Commission to take measures to comply with international law.
If the EU does not act, its diplomatic credibility and standing with voters may never recover.
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