Who wants to sink to rock bottom with Israel?

Israel’s morals are sinking to rock bottom, and Europe’s politicians will have to choose between either condemning this by taking a serious stance against it or between linking its political and moral position with this decline.

The values and slogans promoted by the European Union and its member states disappear when a new-born child in Gaza is crushed by military machinery paid for by Europe with its money, political position, and scientific and technical support. What about the hundreds of children and infants that were massacred? In short, Europe is losing its moral credibility day-by-day by continuing to support Israel and justifying it as “Israel’s right to defend itself”.

What has been happening for the past few weeks this summer endorses one part of the crisis of the democratic project in the European experience. The truth is that foreign policies are being formulated and pursued outside the context of democracy, and in truth, they are not put forward for real discussion, but are linked to obsolete concepts of interests and national security inherited from the last century. If the situation was different, then European policy-makers would hold a referendum for their people regarding their position towards Israel.

The European masses have held many large demonstrations and showed extraordinary determination and perseverance against the unjust occupation and war crimes committed by Israel, as well as the ongoing atrocities and successive gross violations witnessed by the entire world, but ignored by politicians. The decision-makers are practically deaf, just as Tony Blair was deaf to the demands of his people in London shortly before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It was then revealed that he contributed to the production of the largest chaos in the world, while the people today still suffer from the repercussions.

Where do Europe’s politicians stand today concerning what is happening in Gaza? Most of them are going on with their vacations on the beaches and turning their heads away from what their policies and the generous European support of Israel is doing; policies that are deadly.

The official European discourse on Israel has not substantially changed despite the tangible shifts in the European peoples’ attitudes towards the Israeli occupation as confirmed by opinion polls. It is true that European official statements do not skimp on frail criticisms of the Israeli government, its army and its forces’ violations, such as settlement construction, demolitions and mass killings of children, but this has never gone past verbal statements and transformed into an actual shift in policies. Each time the season of war in Gaza arrives every couple of years, these criticisms evaporate and the Israeli authorities get the green light once again to do whatever it wants to the densely populated area before the European officials re-express their grief about the victims.

Needless to say, Israel clearly understands the significance of the statements made by European governments since the beginning of the attack on Gaza in early July. They are, at best, an indication of inaction and indifference, or, more precisely, it is an understanding, in advance, of what Israel, which excels in the art of mass murder against the people, in each military round. According to Israeli logic, the apologetic nature of the European attitudes is nothing but a political cover for the attack and a green light for Netanyahu’s forces to begin its missions against the Palestinians without any hesitation.

After Europe’s governments saw what Israel did with this implicit authorisation granted to them to do almost anything they want, critical statements began to be issued from European capitals and the world, only after the bombing of UN facilities and hospitals were frequently and blatantly repeated, resulting in many Palestinian victims.

We must be cautious of disregarding the consciousness of the European and global masses, as they are watching what is happening and are feeling it. They longer rely on the statements condemning the atrocities being committed without taking serious measures against Israel. The official statements of condemnation by the EU foreign ministries and bodies remain hollow unless they are translated on the ground and become real measures and policies.

If the classic and adopted view of Israel is that it is a “democratic state with a Western nature”, the reason for the praise by leading Western politicians for decades, then the correct behaviour towards Israel should be to hold it accountable in accordance with the Western standards for its reality and actions. It is illogical to allow Israel to act as if it has God-given immunity and can do whatever it likes, disregarding international conventions, especially in the 21st Century.

Hundreds of thousands of people across Europe are protesting every weekend against Israel’s attack on Gaza, but those responsible for the policies apparently do not believe this is worth listening to. What the ladies and gentlemen sitting in their officers are not aware of are the changes of the world and the orientations and trends of their people. The gap between the political elite and the grass roots will continue to grow. This may be a risky assessment, but it reminds us of the social youth revolution in Europe in the late Sixties. The people have become more capable of keeping up with what is happening in other regions and they possess the tools of pressure and mutual interaction that they have not had in a long time. What we are witnessing on the streets of Europe are not just passing protests, but a pressuring social movement that will be monitoring the behaviour of politicians and institutions by critical standards, and Israel will be the centre of attention.

I have no doubt that the people will be shocked when faced with the facts, such as the fact that the military aid funded by the tax-payers contributed and is partly responsible for killing children and their mothers in Gaza in the ugliest manner. It was not difficult to pass foreign policies like these in the past, but a united world is no longer willing to allow violations of this sort to be passed. This is not about Palestine; it is about mutual human values and principles as well as respect for international conventions and regulations; Gaza is a symbol of this civil struggle.

Twenty years ago, a tone of optimism was prevalent in Palestinian circles regarding Europe. Many statements and positions at the time urged Europe to use its weight and get involved in the political process, after the US had monopolised the process and Europe remained content with holding the financial chequebook. Now, no one in Palestine is still counting on fair, just, and moral official European roles after finding that these are merely delusion hopes. If it comes to Israel, in particular, then Europe’s foreign policies lose all political will and their commitments to the principles of human rights are merely statements and slogans that have lost their value.

The significance of events during this heated summer forces us to ask who wishes to link their moral fate to the fascist Israeli government’s army that is committing war crimes. The is not about justice for the large open-air prison called Gaza, which is being bombed with tons of missiles, it is about compliance with the values ​​and principles that Europe has committed to on paper or whether choosing to reach ‘moral rock bottom’ alongside Israel and its army.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.