CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

The Pendulum Swings: The Slow Death of Europe’s Pro-Israel Consensus

The European Union is the “chief of all cowards,” Amnesty International declared in a searing statement issued on April 21. The condemnation was a direct response to the European bloc’s systemic failure to sever ties with Israel during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.

Despite months of legal warnings, the EU once again prioritized procedural safety over the urgency of human life.

The efforts to press the EU to finally take a moral position were led by a coalition of Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia, later joined by Belgium. They argued that the EU-Israel Association Agreement—the legal framework governing their trade relationship—is predicated on the “respect for human rights.”

To maintain this agreement while the extreme violations in occupied Palestine continue is to render the EU’s own founding treaties meaningless.

Such a decision, even if belated, would have done immeasurable good. It would have restored a measure of the EU’s shattered credibility and re-enlivened the discussion on international law. More importantly, it would have initiated a series of concrete measures to hold Israel accountable and provided Palestinians with a tangible sense of hope.

None of that occurred, however, thanks to the lobbying of Germany and Italy. These nations acted as a diplomatic firewall, shielding Israel from consequences.

The German position remains consistent with Berlin’s hardline defense of Israel, a stance that has persisted even throughout the genocide in Gaza. As a country that should have been the world’s greatest advocate against mass extermination, Germany has repeatedly shielded Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and other global institutions.

During this genocide, Berlin has........

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