BRUSSELS (Realist English). The European Union’s former foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has sharply criticised the bloc’s continued inaction over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and its broader treatment of Palestinians, warning that such passivity amounts to complicity in grave violations of international law.
In a strongly worded opinion piece published by The Guardian on Friday, Borrell condemned what he described as Europe’s failure to respond to what he called a genocide in Gaza, as well as daily violence across the occupied West Bank.
“Those who do not act to stop this genocide and these violations of international law, even though they have the power to do so, are complicit in them,” he wrote.
Borrell pointed to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza — launched in October 2023 — which has reportedly killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. He also cited Israel’s near-total blockade of the Gaza Strip and intensifying settler violence and military operations in the West Bank.
The former top diplomat reminded readers that the European Union is Israel’s largest trading partner, a key investor, and an important arms supplier — making its silence particularly consequential.
Borrell’s intervention adds to growing criticism within Europe over the EU’s handling of the conflict. While some member states have pushed for ceasefires and humanitarian access, the bloc as a whole has stopped short of imposing any meaningful consequences on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
