Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews has accused European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of being"silent" on the genocide accusations facing Israel in a top UN court.
The ICJ has issued two interim orders for Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and to ensure the"unhindered" delivery of food, water and medical supplies into the war-ravaged enclave.It could be years before the case reaches a final judgment. The deputy head of Mission of the State of Palestine to the EU, Adel Atieh, asked about whether Israel was using EU tools available to it under trade programmes to conduct its military offensive, and whether there was any obligation on the EU to prevent genocide.
Dill Janiana, professor in Global Security and co-director of the Oxford Institute of Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, said in reply that actions taken by the EU amounted to"very, very little". "But at the same time and I think this goes to the ambassador's last question, there is ample room for measures that are effective, legal and ethical to reign in Israel's conduct in the Gaza Strip that have simply not been taken yet.
"I think the point about double standards has been really well illustrated...about the way we're approaching the Ukraine case and the European Union requiring that there would be compliance with provisional measures in the Ukraine case compared to silence in this one," he said.