By Colm Regan

Copyright timesofmalta

“What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic… We cannot afford to be paralysed.” And yet paralysed we have consistently chosen to be as illustrated by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (the above quote is from her State of the Union 2025 speech). It is worth reflecting on her words – “shaken the conscience of the world”. Really? I must have missed all that – in the circles von der Lyon and her colleagues move, I would have thought the opposite was true. Commentary from our “leaders” over the past two years is peppered with similar expressions of outrage about the unconscionable slaughter currently at full throttle in Gaza. Words followed by more words and then yet more words. As for action, well that’s an entirely different matter. Like many other “leaders”, von der Leyen has form. Alongside European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, she rushed to the side of the Israeli leadership after October 7th, 2023 to express messages of solidarity. This despite the public knowledge of that regime’s history, Netanyahu’s well documented ideology on Palestine, and the openly expressed assertions of extremist members of his cabinet. Ever since this entirely inappropriate response by von der Leyen and Metsola, very little has been done (other than piling on the words) to mark the EU’s revulsion or to sanction Israel or Netanyahu in any meaningful way. Just ritual intonation of Israel’s (apparently absolute and unrestricted) “right to defend itself”. Last Tuesday, the strongest and most authoritative UN report to date (researched using agreed international norms), concluded that Israel was committing genocide and that named leaders (including Netanyahu) were inciting it. Israel’s response – yet more killing. This was accompanied by assertions that the report was “false”, “a rant”, “written by Hamas proxies” and was “antisemitic” (that dishonest “get out of jail” mantra). And from that bastion of morality, truth, freedom and justice, the White House, zilch (…apart from a few more threats). For many Europeans (including former diplomats and officials) a strong case can be made that EU institutions and much of its “high level” leadership have directly colluded in the slaughter by their prolonged silence and inaction. By refusing to do what could have been done at the time it should have been done. The results of the Netanyahu regime’s war on Palestinians are clear and incontestable at this stage. The systematic killing of a very conservatively estimated 65,000+ Palestinians (we know that many remain buried), the reduction of Gaza to a pile of rubble, the demolition of all infrastructure plus the use of strategic starvation as a weapon of war. During all this the EU has been dogged by internal divisions and failing leadership. After years of verbal gymnastics, hand wringing and ritual expressions of concern, President von der Leyen has now finally stated that she is “proposing” a partial suspension of the preferential trade elements in the agreement governing the EU’s relations with Israel. Individual governments are now following up to see what precisely this might mean and how it might overcome internal opposition from Germany, Italy, Hungary, Austria and Czech Republic. At this stage of the slaughtering, to be talking still of “proposing” to do something (beyond suspending some limited payments and access) is not leadership of any kind. The EU’s credibility on Gaza lies in tatters despite the long-ignored demands of individual states such as Ireland, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands. The leadership in Brussels has routinely downplayed and ignored its responsibilities, arguing dishonestly that this was solely a matter for member states individually or collectively. The conscience of Europe has been given voice and meaning (as ever) by the increasingly effective actions and pressure of civil society in addition to those of individual MEPs, local politicians and a handful of individual states. But, as a political entity, a body of institutions and a peace project, the EU has been betrayed by many of its leadership in Brussels and in individual capitals, notably in Rome and Berlin. Inevitably, this will be a source of shame for all Europeans in the very near future. The EU had and continues to have many options for action including the suspension of that association agreement with Israel, the denial of arms deliveries, the banning of imports from illegal settlements, the sanctioning ministers and political leaders (most especially those advocating ethnic cleansing and genocide) and supportive engagement with the International Criminal Court, UN officials and rapporteurs sanctioned by the Trump regime. Netanyahu shows no signs of restraint, legal care or compliance and is instead expanding his war in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen and Qatar. Behind the scenes quiet diplomacy has delivered for nobody except the Netanyahu regime. Chillingly recent polls have suggested that over 60% of Israelis now believe “nobody in Gaza is innocent” – also an oft repeated sickening view in the comments board of this paper. Alongside the effective impunity gifted to the Netanyahu regime, this public belief contributes significantly to enabling genocide. While the ongoing complicity of “Great Again” America and its enabling network in the genocide is plain for all to hear and see, we expect better (and have a right to demand better) from the EU, its leaders and officials and its institutions. Instead, we have been abysmally served by them. This is devastating for all Palestinians (of whom the vast majority remain innocent) – their very existence and future as a people at stake. It is now extremely dangerous for the region and beyond. Inevitably, it has and will continue to have hugely negative consequences for the EU at precisely the moment when it is being actively undermined from within and from without. And where is Malta in all this? Apparently about to make a big statement.