The EU’s colonial approach to human rights

The EU’s failure to even partially stop Israel’s participation in the Horizon Europe programme speaks volumes about the bloc’s commitment to Israel’s security narrative and complicity in genocide. Germany and Italy stated they needed more time to review the proposal which would see Israel lose around €200 million in funds and investments from the programme.

By November 2023, less than a month into the genocide, it was estimated that Israel had already spent $2 billion to bomb Gaza. What are €200 million to a settler-colonial entity that still deems it profitable to spend billions on genocide? By January this year, Israel’s genocide cost $67.57 billion. And despite the financial toll, Israel persists in its obliteration of Palestinians because its ultimate conquest is land.

The EU is giving ample proof of how its politics are still based on colonial plunder. It still hasn’t gotten to the point where it debates genocide, but is still stuck on whether Israel has breached the human rights clauses in the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This is a debate that should have been held earlier. In fact, had the EU been truly serious about human rights, there would not be an agreement at all, since Israel’s existence is based on human rights violations and war crimes. At the point, there shouldn’t even be a debate on whether Israel is committing genocide, but the EU is still stuck in its human rights hyperbole. Hypothetical human rights violations, of course.

Germany and Italy may be perceived as the reason why the proposal was blocked, but can we spare a moment to consider how ridiculous the measure was in the first place? Not even symbolism can be attached to such a weak gesture which supposedly punishes Israel for the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza. Israel has already sold its security narrative to the entire world; the EU will not suddenly turn its back on Israel’s surveillance technology to force it to end starvation, which is the bare minimum Israel can do. One can never forget the entirety of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, even though the EU’s competence lies in sidelining the obvious.

Germany and Italy do not need more time to consider, but their role is paramount for the EU to keep stalling on even the most futile action against Israel. The EU prides itself on human rights. Germany and Italy’s responses cater to the farce that the EU has created out of human rights – two countries opposing a purportedly rights-based approach – humanitarian, one may add – when the aim was always to maintain Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Had the proposal passed with a majority vote, Israel would have been suspended from the Horizon Europe programme and continued with its genocide in Gaza. Without a majority vote, Israel continues its genocide in Gaza. Where exactly is the EU championing human rights? It can only pretend to do so, thanks to Germany and Italy.

The EU’s concept of human rights cannot be more distanced from Palestinians than it is now.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250731-the-eus-colonial-approach-to-human-rights/