Twenty months into Israel’s daily devastation of Gaza, its US-backed “aid relief” scheme has left 230 people dead or injured in a single day. This single incident is just the latest in the truly apocalyptic destruction wrought on every aspect of life in Gaza. More than 90 percent of Gaza’s population has already been displaced. In the past three months alone, over 600,000 people have been displaced again, some ten times or more.
In these conditions, it is understandable that some should welcome the sight of seventeen European Union member states voting in favor of reviewing the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It is only human to grasp for anything that might acknowledge Palestinians have human rights and that those rights should be treated equally under international law.
It is possible that this vote will mark the long overdue turning of the tide. However, it is unfortunately much more likely that this debate over the suspension of the agreement is a sham and that it will not lead to any significant new moves.
Suspension would require a unanimous vote by all twenty-seven member states. Yet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and several individual states, including Germany, Hungary, and Italy, are steadfast in their support for the Israeli government and in opposing any such change. Under these conditions, expecting a unanimous vote to suspend the deal with Israel would be delusional.
The ruling parties in Hungary and Italy epitomize the rise of Europe’s neofascist right, which despite its antisemitic roots has allied…
Auteur: Andrea Teti
