By Ramona Wadi
The EU must clearly and unequivocally state that it has abandoned the Palestinian people to complete political isolation. The recent Israeli air strikes on Gaza have not only revealed the UN’s scheming in terms of protecting Zionist colonization of Palestine, but also the EU’s interests when it comes to forcing Palestinians into accepting detrimental conditions which run contrary to the people’s liberation struggle.
A spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini stated:
“The rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel must stop immediately.”
An identical statement was issued by the EU Embassy in Israel. The statements completely eliminate Israel’s murder of Palestinians at the Great March of Return protests, as well as the air strikes on Gaza which have once again displaced Palestinian families, as well as killed and injured civilians. Instead, the focus is on the resistance movements finding ways to thwart the glorified Iron Dome, while disregarding the fact that Israel is consistently developing weapons to test on Palestinians in Gaza before marketing abroad for other nations.
The onslaught of comments condemning Gaza’s rocket retaliation is not surprising. However, the absence of even the slightest condemnation of Israel is an admission that the EU no longer feels it has to conceal its intentions. Just like the UN, the EU has decided to flaunt its support for Israel. Nevertheless, it will still require Palestinians to view the EU as playing an important role in the hypothetical state-building which, since Oslo, has only yielded additional colonization of Palestine.
Palestine is politically isolated. To admit this reality is less damaging than lauding purported partners in an obsolete peace process. Just like the UN, the EU has also concocted a strategy in which Palestine is fragmented into terms such as humanitarian aid, poverty, displacement, basic needs and solidarity. In terms of politics, it is the Palestinian Authority that the EU deems relevant, and only due to its role in facilitating the Israeli colonization process which the international community wants to protect at the expense of perpetual violation of Palestinian rights.
Meanwhile, there is no sign that the PA will change its politics. In light of the details revealed so far of US President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century”, the PA is stepping up calls for the UN and the EU to intervene against the US and in favor of the two-state compromise. Both entities could not have wished for a more complacent collaborator – one that is still advocating for a plan which will ultimately aid Israel to complete its colonial project.
The PA has claimed that the recent Israeli aggression against Gaza is the “prelude” to Trump’s plan. Yet it has not extended criticism towards the EU and the UN for supporting Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. To do so would be tantamount to the PA admitting that Palestinians should rightfully play a part in the politics that have been bludgeoning the people’s lives as a result of international interference.
However, the illusion that Palestinians have political partners is backfiring and Palestinian unity, in particular when it comes to resistance, is the only remaining political force which the PA does not want to encourage.
– Ramona Wadi is a staff writer for Middle East Monitor, where this article was originally published. She contributed this article to the Palestine Chronicle.
