Original title: ‘Moreel faillissement van onze buitenlandpolitiek’: organisaties woedend over uitblijven EU-sancties tegen Israël, from Dutch newspaper NRC. Translated using DeepL.

European sanctions

Amnesty calls the decision by EU ministers not to impose sanctions on Israel for the time being ‘one of the most shameful moments in the history of the EU’. Israel calls it a success.

Human rights and aid organisations reacted angrily on Tuesday evening to the European Union’s decision not to impose sanctions on Israel for the time being, despite violations of humanitarian law.

In a written response to NRC, Oxfam Novib referred to ‘a political charade’ in which ‘a few crumbs of aid are used to create the impression that there will be a substantial improvement in the terrible situation facing the Palestinian civilian population’. According to Oxfam, this reflects ‘the moral bankruptcy of Dutch and European foreign policy’.

According to Oxfam, outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp (NSC) continues to ‘hide behind European divisions over concrete actions against Israel’. According to the NGO, he uses these divisions as ‘an excuse for this cabinet not to fulfil its own international obligations’.

Postponement

Veldkamp himself told the ANP news agency that it was a ‘win’ that all measures the EU could take ‘remained on the table. There are member states, large and small, that would have preferred to remove such options from the table.’

Israel has been given more time by EU ministers to show that it is allowing sufficient aid to reach the starving population of Gaza. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the EU decision ‘an important diplomatic success’ on social media and thanked ministers who prevented sanctions.

Amnesty International states that the failure to impose sanctions, such as suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, will be remembered ‘as one of the most shameful moments in the history of the EU.’ It is ‘a cruel betrayal of the European project, which is based on the enforcement of international law.’

The director of human rights organisation The Rights Forum called the decision ‘cowardly and shameful’. ‘Israel is violating international law, but the EU once again does not dare to impose sanctions. This is not diplomacy and enforcement of international law – this is shameless complicity in genocide,’ said The Rights Forum.

The Dutch pro-Israel lobby group CIDI calls it ‘good to see that the EU is not bowing to anti-Israel hysteria’. According to CIDI, not imposing sanctions is ‘the only correct decision’.

Reactions in The Hague

In the Dutch political arena, the parties that have already criticised Dutch policy on Israel are particularly vocal. GroenLinks-PvdA [green/social democrats] MP Kati Piri says that ‘the moral authority of the European Union is evaporating’. Piri calls for national sanctions. CDA [christian democrats] MP Derk Boswijk finds the decision ‘incomprehensible’. ‘The Netanyahu government has so far shown little sensitivity to reasonableness.’

‘Ethnic cleansing is taking place in Gaza,’ writes D66 [social liberal] MP Jan Paternotte. ‘This way, Europe is allowing this to happen.’ ‘Shortly after commemorating the genocide in Srebrenica, European leaders announce that they will not take action against Israel,’ says Christine Teunissen of the Party for the Animals. ‘While we witness genocide in Gaza on a daily basis.’