Avoiding an Israeli fascist isn’t the brave move the EU thinks it is
A sign bearing the name & logo of the European Union in the ruins of a house that was demolished by Israeli forces, Umm al Khair, South Hebron, 9 August 2016
Eitay Mack writes in +972:
Earlier this month, the European Union’s embassy in Israel announced that it was canceling its Europe Day reception, scheduled for May 9, over far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s insistence on speaking at the event. Far from proving the strength of the human rights values of the European countries, as stated by the EU delegation’s spokesperson, the decision is just another illustration of these countries’ hypocrisy in their engagement with Israel-Palestine.
The announcement came after a week of media reports suggesting that the EU delegation was hoping the Netanyahu government would send another minister to the reception instead. If they would have been fine with another minister from the most extreme-right government in Israel’s history speaking at the event, the EU diplomats may as well have gone ahead with Ben Gvir’s participation and just covered their heads with blankets while he spoke.
The embarrassment did not end there. A day before the Europe Day celebration, Israel demolished a school in a Bedouin community near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, which was built with funding from the EU. In response, the EU and German Foreign Ministry condemned the demolition and further stressed that such actions are “illegal under international law, and children’s right to education must be respected.” Their statement added: “The EU calls on Israel to halt all demolitions and evictions, which will only increase the suffering of the Palestinian population and risk inflaming tensions on the ground.”
This statement joins countless other condemnations by the EU and European governments of Israel’s policy in the occupied Palestinian territories. What cannot be found in any of them, however, is an indication of the consequences Israel will face if it continues with these policies, and the sanctions that these governments will impose in response.