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Alleged double standards in the EU’s application of international law towards Ukraine and the Gaza Strip are eroding Europe\u2019s credibility with the Global South, with which the bloc is eager to strike trade deals, a former EU ambassador to the Palestinian occupied territories and the Gaza Strip has told Euronews in an interview. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have unfortunately lost our standing in the world. If you talk now to the Global South – the majority of countries with whom we want stronger relationships in trade, economic resources, raw materials, and energy supplies – you will find a situation where it is very difficult to mobilise these partnerships,\u201d said former envoy Sven K\u00fchn von Burgsdorff. <\/p>\n
K\u00fchn von Burgsdorff served as EU ambassador to Palestinian occupied territories and the Gaza Strip between January 2020 and July 2023. He was recently a coordinator of a letter sent by 27 former EU ambassadors – and subsequently endorsed by 58 – to heads of governments and EU institutions on July 10, calling for actions against Israel due to the ongoing situations in Gaza and in the West Bank. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was very much impressed by the speed to act against Russia’s completely illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, what we have done in the Palestinian case was just shameful. We have actually closed our eyes,\u201d K\u00fchn von Burgsdorff told Euronews. <\/p>\n
Currently the Bahamas and Micronesia are the sole official and active supporters of Europe in its war against Russia from the Global South, according to the ex-EU ambassador. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis means countries from the Global South do not take the EU and the member states seriously when we pledge to actually support human rights and defend international law,\u201d said the ex-EU envoy, adding that to regain credibility, the bloc needs to \u201cact against what we are seeing every day in Gaza\u201d. <\/p>\n
On 7 October, 2023, Hamas attacked Israeli communities near Gaza, killing around 1,200 people, and kidnapped 251 people. As of June, 50 hostages remained, of which 27 presumed dead. <\/p>\n
Since October 7, Israel intensified military assaults in Gaza and the West Bank, causing over 60,000 casualties in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. <\/p>\n
On 29 July, the UN said<\/a> that intermittent blockages of aid since March were causing famine and widespread starvation. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is happening every day and night is a horrifying spectacle of killing and mutilating innocent Gazans in pursuit of the Netanyahu government\u2019s stated objective of destroying Hamas. The problem is that, under international humanitarian law, there are established principles governing the conduct of war, such as the distinction between military and civilian targets, the proportionality of actions taken, and precautionary measures to minimise civilian harm and collateral damage. None of these principles have been observed,\u201d the ex-EU envoy claimed<\/p>\n The Israeli government has described its fight against Hamas as existential war and insisted that it has kept within the bounds of international law.<\/p>\n EU inaction<\/p>\n The former EU envoy criticised the inaction of the bloc as well as the inefficacy of the humanitarian deal struck between the EU and Israel, announced by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas on 10 July. <\/p>\n \u201cKallas announced that on 14 July, a substantial increase in humanitarian aid would enter Gaza. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. Not only was no additional aid allowed in, but since that announcement, hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed at aid distribution points,\u201d the former EU ambassador said. <\/p>\n Since April, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organisation co-managed by Israel and the US, has been responsible for distributing food in the Gaza Strip, following the disengagement of UN authorities from aid delivery. <\/p>\n But since the start of its activities, the Foundation has been heavily criticised by NGOs and UN agencies for its distribution practices, including for episodes of alleged shootings by the Israeli army at starving people trying to reach food supplies. <\/p>\n As of 13 July, 875 people died while trying to reach food, the UN reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cWe really have now to act in order to avoid a complete genocide taking place there. It seems to be an emerging consensus among the European populace, notably among young people, where a clear majority wants our government to take action against this ongoing massacre,\u201d K\u00fchn von Burgsdorff said. <\/p>\n