"Europe cannot remain on the sidelines in Gaza"

The bloc’s failure to step up carries serious geopolitical costs.

[...] EU leaders have issued countless calls to respect international law and pursue a two-state solution — but when it comes to action, the bloc has been largely absent. A “paper tiger” loud in rhetoric but toothless in practice, it wasn’t even invited to ceasefire or hostage negotiations. [...]

Meanwhile, Brussels gave Israel unfettered access to its market without seeking to leverage to push for the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestine and sustainable peace. [...]

Then there’s the economic leverage Europe has at its disposal. The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner but has never used that to enforce the human-rights clause in its EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Nor has it effectively ensured that no benefits from this partnership, directly or indirectly, extend to Israel’s illegal settlements where more than 750,000 settlers now live — something that could entail barring products from those settlements and penalizing companies that aid in the occupation. And if Israel continues to flout international law, suspending the agreement should be considered. [...]

The horrific civilian toll in Gaza is actively testing whether the EU’s proclaimed principles mean anything. The bloc has the influence and resources to make a difference, and it still has considerable tools at its disposal to do so — what it lacks is the courage to act.

And if European leaders remain bystanders, their lofty declarations will ring ever more hollow.