“Those who do not act to stop this genocide and these violations of international law, even though they have the power to do so, are complicit in them.”
Former EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell has said there can be “little doubt” that the Israeli government “is committing genocide in Gaza” and that those who do not act to stop it “are complicit,” including the EU.
“There can be little doubt that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza, slaughtering and starving civilians after systematically destroying all the infrastructure in the territory,” Borrel wrote in an opinion piece for The Guardian on Friday.
Those who do not act to stop the genocide in Gaza are complicit in it. The @EUCouncil must finally decide to sanction Israel without further delay. This is the only thing that can bring Israeli leaders to stop committing crimes against humanity: https://t.co/TREz8CrUp5
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 1, 2025
“In the meantime, settlers and the Israeli army are every day guilty of serious, massive and repeated violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” he continued.
Staggering Death Toll
Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing military assault launched in October 2023 and the death toll continues to mount, in part due to Israel’s crippling humanitarian aid blockade that has led to starvation and malnutrition.
US-Backed Israeli Forces Turn Gaza Aid Sites into ‘Regular Bloodbaths’ – HRW
Borrel wrote that “Those who do not act to stop this genocide and these violations of international law, even though they have the power to do so, are complicit in them.”
He added, “This is unfortunately the case with the leaders of the European Union and those of its member states, who refuse to sanction Israel even though the EU has a legal obligation to do so.”
‘Biggest Trading Partner’
He said the EU “has many levers it could pull to exert significant influence on the Israeli government.”
The EU, Borrell emphasized, is Israel’s biggest trading partner and its main partner in investment and people-to-people exchange, in addition to being one of its major arms suppliers.
The EU and the Ethics of Trading with Israel: What Has Changed?
He said the association agreement between the EU and Israel, established in 2000 after the Oslo accords, “is the most favourable of all those concluded by the bloc with third countries.”
In addition to zero customs duties on its exports of goods and services and visa-free travel for its citizens, “the agreement gives Israel access to several major European funding and exchange programmes such as Horizon and Erasmus.”
‘Legal Obligation’
He underlined that Article 2 of the agreement “makes it conditional on Israel’s respect for international law and fundamental human rights,” meaning that EU leaders have a legal obligation to suspend the deal.
‘Lack of Political Will’ in EU’s Failure to Address Ongoing Gaza Genocide
“Whether or not to suspend it is therefore not a choice that the EU can make at will,” Borrell stated, and considering that the EU foreign ministers found that Israel “was not respecting these rights, EU leaders now have a legal obligation to suspend the agreement.”
He warned that “Failure to do so would also be a serious violation of the association agreement with Israel.”
Geopolitical Standing
Borrell, who served as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy until 2024, said he had pushed for stronger measures during his tenure but received little support from member states.
Albanese Slams EU for ‘Consciously Supporting Israel’s Genocide’
“The EU has for more than a year and a half been unable to assert its commitment to fundamental human rights, its defence of international law and multilateralism, or its longstanding position in favour of the two-state solution,” he stated, adding that this inaction has “already seriously damaged its geopolitical standing, not only in the Muslim world but across the globe.”
‘Crimes Against Humanity’
The former EU official said that by “persisting” in not taking the necessary action, including not blocking arms deliveries to Israel or sanctioning Israeli political leaders who “make genocidal statements,” the EU and its member states “are discrediting themselves in the eyes of the world and undermining the international law and multilateral order they are supposed to defend.”
US-Backed Israeli Forces Turn Gaza Aid Sites into ‘Regular Bloodbaths’ – HRW
He said, “The leaders of the EU and its member states will probably be called to account in the future for their complicity in the crimes against humanity committed by Netanyahu’s government.”
“The EU must finally decide to sanction Israel without further delay. This is the only language that can bring Israeli leaders to stop committing crimes against humanity,” Borrell concluded.
(PC, Anadolu)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
