After two years of constant war and destruction in Gaza, the European Union has finally broken its silence on the matter. Although the state of war in Gaza has seen attacks on multiple schools, hospitals, and social workers, which violate international law standards and severely breach international humanitarian law, little was said or done by European countries. Like many Western nations, Europe has also been complicit in the ethnic cleansing that has been ongoing for the past 19 months. This changed on May 20th, last month. Europe is finally confronting Israel, breaking its long silence by condemning its violations of international law and urging accountability for its actions in Gaza and beyond.
This shift in tone was justified by the European Union, citing Israel’s failure to fully lift the two-month aid blockade in Gaza. While Israel has consistently committed violations of international law in Gaza, it stooped to a new low when it decided to weaponise essential aid. Recent images from Gaza depict a horrific state of the Palestinian people being herded into cages for aid that is insufficient for those present. According to a recent report, the aid reaching the Palestinian population is only 20% of their prewar needs, which, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out, is merely a teaspoon of what is required.
The Netherlands Proposes Review of EU-Israel Association Agreement Amidst Humanitarian Concerns
Last month, the foreign minister of the Netherlands proposed a review of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel. The Dutch minister proposed a review of the agreement under Article 2, which stipulates that those relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guide their internal and international policy. The European Union is Israel’s largest trade partner, but has chosen to review the association agreement based on humanitarian violations committed in Gaza. James Moran, a European Union ambassador, recently stated in an interview regarding the change in the EU’s stance that the question is whether this represents a genuine shift or political posturing; he believes it is a bit of both. The review proposed by the Netherlands on May 20th was supported by 17 of the 27 member states, receiving majority backing. Although the review was previously proposed as well, it lacked the majority support it has now.
European nations, like the West, have historically been staunch allies of Israel. However, even these allies have decided to take a stand because they claim they can no longer watch as Israel expands its military actions in Gaza. Experts believe the shift in European countries’ positions will be significant, as Israel was also born out of Europe. However, some major countries, like Germany, the second largest arms supplier to Israel, do not support the review. Yet, other nations like the Netherlands, Spain, and France endorse the action, viewing it as a significant move against Israel. Although Germany is an important European state, it voted against the review of the association agreement, a decision many attribute to Germany’s history. The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, stated recently that Israel’s actions can no longer be justified and that this is no longer a fight against Hamas. The Chancellor also mentioned he feels compelled to speak up when Israel constantly violates international law. An important factor to consider in this situation is that each time a review was proposed in the past, the US publicly opposed it and showed support for Israel; however, this time, Washington has remained silent on the matter, which some perceive as tacit support for a review. Conversely, the Trump administration has openly suggested the idea of reconstructing Gaza into a Riviera without its Indigenous Palestinians, further intensifying the conflict. It can be said that there are cracks in the US-Israel relationship, but these cracks are not significant enough to cause a major rift between the two allies.
European Countries Issue Warnings and Sanctions Over Gaza Situation
Just days before the review was proposed in the European Union, a joint warning was issued by France, Canada, and the UK, citing the unjustifiable destruction and violations in Gaza. The United Kingdom paused trade talks with Israel until there was a complete lifting of the aid blockade in Gaza. At the same time, Canada and France openly called for sanctions against Israel and threatened punitive measures. Spain also called for sanctions and arms embargoes against the state of Israel. In response, Israel claimed that it was not affected by the statements and the consequent sanctions.
Regarding the UK pausing trade talks with Israel, state officials asserted that they were not particularly concerned, believing this would cause more harm to the UK than to Israel. Commenting on this statement from Israeli officials, Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, stated that although Israel claims it is unaffected by the recent change in stance by the UK and other European countries, behind closed doors, Israel will seriously consider the consequences if these countries go through with the proposed deterrents. The UK is one of the largest arms traders for Israel, with trade amounting to approximately $78 billion. Although the state has previously suspended 30 of the 300 British arms exporters’ licenses, sales worth $170 million continued until September 2024. However, this number is believed to decrease further if the UK follows through with its statements. The UK foreign secretary stated that the change in the country’s stance is due to the situation entering a dark new phase, where the state of Israel plans to push the Palestinians into a corner in the south and provide only a fraction of the required aid. Addressing the people of Israel, the foreign secretary emphasised that the actions of their government are impacting the relationship between European states and Israel.
The Controversial Gaza Humanitarian Fund
It is important to discuss the ongoing aid situation in Gaza, which has sparked this uproar against Israel’s government in Europe. After the EU began to pressure Israel to lift the two-month-long aid blockade in Gaza completely, the US wanted Israel to demonstrate it was taking positive steps, allowing Washington to justify the continued flow of weapons to Israel. In response, the US and Israel devised a troubling solution, the GHF. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) is an organisation conceived by both Washington and Tel Aviv. Former CIA members lead it and operate under the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). From its inception, it was clear that the GHF aimed to weaponize aid to the Palestinian people, offering far less aid than is necessary for the local population. GHF used aid to bait and trap Palestinian people, herding them like animals, resulting in only a few receiving aid.
During this distribution, some were even shot and killed. These shots have reportedly resulted in at least 27 Palestinians being killed, which the IDF denies responsibility for. Expert analysis indicates that GHF is attempting to use this aid to push the people of Gaza away from the strip, towards the south while facilitating the relocation of illegal settlers into the homes of the Indigenous. This also aligns with Trump’s claim that he would help create a Riviera in the Gaza Strip after relocating the Palestinian people. Weaponizing aid during wartime is a significant violation of international humanitarian law, which dictates fixed rules regarding aid distribution during conflict. Since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza, the administration has tactfully blocked all UN-assisted aid. It has closed all UN distribution points, taking full control of aid reaching Gaza to block it and weaponize it against the Palestinians. In addition to this, back in 2024, Israel openly attacked several UNWRA aid trucks and aid locations of the UN.
The airstrikes by Israel on the aid sites and aid trucks came without any warning in advance. Since October 2023, there have been more than 400 aid workers killed in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli airstrikes, which is a clear violation of international law. These attacks on aid sites and trucks were later, in 2024, justified by the government of Israel, which said that the UN workers were aiding Hamas in Gaza and claimed they had evidence to prove that. It is yet to be proved. Consequently, the UN has issued several warnings against the GHF. Notably, Jake Woods, the US military veteran tasked with running the GHF, resigned just months into his assignment, stating he could not continue working with GHF while strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, principles he would not abandon. This statement further reinforces the UN’s claims against the GHF and its credibility in providing aid to Gaza.
The European Union has faced considerable criticism as people responded, asserting that its stance is ‘Too little, too late,’ almost two years after the violations in Gaza first began. The response to the policy and the proposed review indicates that this is the least the EU could have done, and it should leverage its strength and significance to do more and assist the people of Palestine. Another criticism raised against the EU is that merely issuing statements against Israel will not improve the situation in Gaza; the EU must take strict and decisive actions against the state to help achieve a resolution to the ongoing aid issue in the Gaza Strip. An important statement by Lynn Boylan, a member of the European Parliament for Ireland, further emphasizes the need for immediate action, as she states that the time for talks was a year and a half ago. She also pointed out that the EU’s call for a review is absurd because it is very clear that violations have occurred in Israel. She asks, is it not evident that violations exist? The European Union must take tangible action instead of making empty statements, as this will only prolong the situation while violations continue in the meantime. It is also crucial to recognize that although these are only statements from European capitals, they still hold significance and can lead to positive outcomes, as such statements can exert pressure and result in subsequent embargoes and sanctions against Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
If you want to submit your articles and/or research papers, please visit the Submissions page.
To stay updated with the latest jobs, CSS news, internships, scholarships, and current affairs articles, join our Community Forum!
The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Fatima Mazhar is a 9th-semester law student at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. She is currently serving as the chairperson of the Law Students Council, Pakistan.