NOURNEWS- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing criticism for not explicitly calling on Israel to respect international law in its war on Gaza during a trip to the country Friday.
Von der Leyen, a German center-right politician, visited the Kfar Aza kibbutz and expressed unreserved solidarity with Israel on behalf of the European Union. But she is facing a political backlash from lawmakers and diplomats for not speaking up about the humanitarian consequences of Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Hamas in Gaza, which have killed over 2300 Palestinians which are mostly children and women.
With many diplomats anonymously announcing their disagreements with von der Leyen’s statement and her declaration of EU’s full support of Israel and its barbaric crimes on behalf of member states of this bloc.
On Tuesday, EU’s foreign ministers condemned attacks by Hamas but also “called for the protection of civilians and restraint, the release of hostages, for allowing access to food, water, and medicines to Gaza in line with international humanitarian law.” But standing next to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday, Von der Leyen said Israel has the right to defend itself. After acknowledging the suffering of innocent Palestinians, she said: “I know that how Israel responds will show that it is a democracy.”
She used the word of “democracy” in her statement, how does imposing a full on siege upon Gaza and the murder of innocent children and women, while trying to wipe Gaza out of the face of the maps resembles democracy? How does preventing food, water, electricity, medicine and any humanitarian help to arrive in Gaza is not called as war crimes by EU?
The Israeli government has forced some 1 million people to leave northern Gaza as it prepares a potential ground offensive, drawing criticism from international organizations, but this inhuman action has faced no criticism from western countries’ governments and their leaders, but, their support of Israel and its crimes has shown the full extent of their double standards, also, their fake show of solidarity with Israel, based on humanitarian causes and scattered unity of EU have become obvious for the world to see.
In this regard, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has been more critical of Israel, calling the country’s siege of Gaza illegal and dismissing its evacuation order as unrealistic. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, has stressed that international law “must be respected” by Israel, which has blocked food, water, and fuel supplies to Gaza.
Jonathan Rosenzweig, the deputy chief of mission at Israel’s mission to the EU, criticized concerns about a common EU position, describing them as “absurd” while “over 1,300 innocent civilians were butchered, raped, beheaded, burnt and kidnapped.” He added: “You need to recalibrate your moral compass.” Furthermore, Adel Atieh, the deputy ambassador at the Palestinian Authority’s Mission to the EU, wrote on X that von der Leyen and Metsola “share double human standards.”
The criticism of von der Leyen’s stance comes after a week of muddled messaging by the Commission. On Monday, Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi announced that the EU would immediately suspend aid to the Palestinian Authority. Hours later, after a furious backlash by EU countries and other commissioners, the Commission reversed the decision.
Von der Leyen calls Hamas resistance groups as terrorist who have committed act of terrors against people of Israel and has based all of her arguments around her love toward Humanitarian values and laws, but how does EU, as it is obvious from above-mentioned fact, has tried to suspend humanitarian aid to Palestinian people which is mostly medicine and food? To use medicine, food, water, humanitarian aids and any other basic needs of a human as a leverage against innocent people and try to push a false narration regarding Israel as a victim is a disgusting act.
But, the most heinous and gut-wrenching reality regarding von der Leyen and other high officials of western countries and entities is their double standards. Von der Leyen supports the Zionist regime's war crimes against Palestine as Israel’s right for self-defense. But von der Leyen herself has accused Russia of committing war crimes for besieging Ukraine and preventing any food, water or medicine to be sent to Ukrainians.
October 19 she wrote on X (formerly known as twitter): Russia’s attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes. Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity, and heating with winter coming - these are acts of pure terror.
The Zionist regime is committing these crimes against the innocent people of Palestine with no concern for receiving backlash from Western high officials such as Ursula von der Leyen because their moral compass is not guided by humanitarian values nor any other morally accepted values, but they are driven and guided by their unsatisfiable thirst for power.
Her double standards are not limited to her contradictory tweets regarding the situation in Ukraine and Palestinian crisis, her Opening remarks at the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction, and Modernization of Ukraine on 25 October were at it follows:
“We want to discuss the reconstruction of Ukraine today. Thousands of destroyed houses. Several hundred schools turned to rubble. Countless bridges, roads, power stations, railway infrastructure and industry bombed. For Ukrainians, these are not just statistics. This is their everyday experience. It is about having a roof over their heads, a warm place in the winter and classrooms where their children are safe. It is about going to work, bringing food home, and making a living. These are hard, scary and painful days for Ukrainians.” let us forget her baseless accusations regarding Ukraine’s infrastructure being targeted by Russia and just focus on her fake love towards humanitarian values such as safety of children. What is the difference between Ukrainian children and Palestinian children? As of today, 15 October, over 300 children have been murdered by the Zionist regime’s air strikes in 24 hours.
Her statement continues: “Russia is deliberately leading targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure with the very clear aim to cut off men, women, and children to water, electricity, and heating as the winter is approaching. These are pure acts of terror, and Russia tries to paralyze Ukraine.” But now, when Israel, the most important allies of western countries commits these same acts of terror, the European Commission President proudly announces her full support of the Zionist regime and its war crimes.
Also on a side note, we must not forget Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy famous speech and tweet, he wrote on X: There must be no famine. The right for food & clean water should be the basic human right. It must be a global goal! Anyone who tries to deprive people of food or water is an enemy to humanity. We must defeat such enemies together, like [🇺🇦] & our partners do.
Regarding the situation in Palestine and the ongoing crimes of the Zionist regime against innocent people, the same person told NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly in Copenhagen via video link: “The only difference is that there is a terrorist organization that attacked Israel and here is a terrorist state that attacked Ukraine. The intentions declared are different, but the essence is the same.” he did not mention the critical situation of Palestine nor the murder of the innocent women and children by Israel, per usual and similar to the collective attempt of western authorities, he tried to change the place of the oppressed and the oppressor.
BY: Homayoun Barkhor
NOURNEWS