Jacobin: The European Union's complicity in the Israeli genocide
9 Min Read
In an interview with Jacobin, Marc Botenga accuses the European Union of legal complicity in "Israel’s" genocide in Gaza, calling for sanctions, arms embargoes, and an end to decades of impunity.
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A protestor holds a sign during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza outside of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023 (AP)
In an interview with Jacobin, Marc Botenga, MEP for the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB) and vice-chair of the European parliament’s Left group, emphasized the European Union's complicity in "Israel's" crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Regarding the European Union's review of the EU-"Israel" Association Agreement after the death toll in Gaza reached 60,000, Botenga condemned the ongoing atrocities in Gaza; from starvation, executions, to mass killings, while noting the absurd delay of EU institutions in acknowledging what UN experts, courts, and Israeli human rights groups already confirm: "Israel" is committing genocide.
He criticized the EU's inaction, noting that while its own review confirmed "Israel's" human rights violations, which legally justify suspending their agreement, European leaders still refused to impose sanctions, delaying any decision until autumn. He stressed that no other state would enjoy such impunity.
The European Union's complicity in the Israeli genocide
He condemned the EU's token gesture of suspending only a few Israeli startups from Horizon Europe, which Germany and Italy then blocked. This inaction, he argued, proves the EU's legal complicity in genocide under the Genocide Convention, which requires states to use all available influence to prevent atrocities, especially given Europe's close political ties to "Israel".
As Botenga noted, the refusal to act confirms the EU’s complicity, not just morally, but legally. The Genocide Convention obligates states to prevent genocide, and the ICJ has ruled this includes using all available influence. With Europe supplying weapons, funding, and political cover while blocking even symbolic sanctions, its role isn’t passive support; it’s active participation in "Israel’s" crimes.
Alexandra Gerasimcikova from Jacobin questioned Botenga on whether suspending the EU-"Israel" Association Agreement would have a real impact. Marc Botenga responds that it would send a critical political message, ending decades of Israeli impunity, while also hitting "Israel" economically by revoking trade benefits and cutting EU funding to its military-industrial complex. He stressed that Europe must go further, imposing a full arms embargo to stop fueling genocide.
EU exploits events to let 'Israel' bask in impunity
When asked if the Iran-"Israel" conflict delayed action on suspending the EU-"Israel" agreement, Botenga rejected the premise. "Israel’s impunity is guaranteed by Europe," he stressed, pointing to decades of blocked sanctions despite apartheid and genocide.
Global pressure is mounting, Botenga noted, yet the EU still exploits events like the Iran war to deflect, even falsely casting "Israel" as the victim. "An aggressor invoking ‘self-defense’ is absurd," he added, slamming Europe’s erosion of international law.
He pointed to European leaders like Germany's Friedrich Merz, who have openly endorsed "Israel's" violations of international law, from its attack on Iran which targeted civilians and nuclear facilities, to the "beeper bombings" in Lebanon that maimed children. By praising such war crimes as "genius" or calling them "our dirty work," they reveal the EU's imperialist disregard for legal and moral boundaries, even at the cost of civilian lives.
Belgium shows the importance of mobilization
Marc Botenga explained that Belgium's initial support for reviewing the EU-"Israel" Association Agreement resulted from sustained pressure by Palestine solidarity movements, despite the current right-wing government's pro-"Israel" stance.
Mass demonstrations, city-level boycott campaigns, and direct actions have kept the issue prominent, with the latest protest being the largest yet. The EU Parliament member pointed to the Belgian Workers' Party, which contributed by amplifying movement demands in institutions while maintaining focus on grassroots mobilization, following a "street-council-street" strategy to shift political momentum.
The European Union's slack
Marc Botenga identified a clear double standard in the EU's approach to sanctions, contrasting its swift action against Russia with its refusal to hold "Israel" accountable.
While the EU had imposed 18 sanctions packages on Russia and suspended cooperation with other nations like Belarus and Hungary, it had claimed technical or legal obstacles prevented similar measures against "Israel".
He dismissed these excuses, pointing out that High Representative Kaja Kallas could have pushed for sanctions without requiring unanimity, as she did with Russia, but instead chose inaction. The EU's claim that excluding Israeli entities from Horizon Europe would constitute discrimination was contradicted by its own precedent of cutting ties with Russian research institutions.
Botenga traced this hypocrisy to decades of Israeli impunity, documented in numerous UN resolutions, and linked it to Europe's strategic alignment with US interests. He argued that Western powers, from Trump to Merz, viewed "Israel" as a military proxy to control the Middle East's energy resources and trade routes, which explained the EU's reluctance to disrupt this arrangement despite "Israel's" systematic violations of international law.
The EU's recent proposal for a partial suspension of cooperation with "Israel" under Horizon Europe directly contradicted its earlier position that such measures would be discriminatory. This move, though limited, exposed the hollowness of the Commission's previous justifications for inaction.
Botenga emphasized that the suspension should have happened long ago, given "Israel's" well-documented history of violating international law and human rights. The EU's failure to act sooner revealed not a lack of capacity, but a lack of political will, shaped by geopolitical calculations rather than legal or moral principles.
Ireland paves the way to more action against 'Israel'
Marc Botenga acknowledged the significance of Ireland becoming the first EU country to draft legislation banning imports from illegal Israeli settlements, while noting similar proposals were circulating in Belgium.
However, he criticized the Belgian government's recent Gaza resolution as inadequate, as it whitewashed "Israel's" occupation history and proposed no substantive measures like arms embargoes or sanctions. While his party pushed for concrete actions, these were rejected by the majority.
Botenga expressed hope that Ireland's initiative could inspire meaningful change, recalling how Ireland's 1984 boycott of South African goods helped galvanize the global anti-apartheid movement, while stressing that empty resolutions serving as political cover were unacceptable while Belgium continued business-as-usual with a regime committing genocide.
Additionally, he detailed how the Brussels-Capital Region implemented concrete sanctions against "Israel" in February 2025, including bans on arms transfers, subsidy withdrawals from Israeli companies, and suspension of economic missions.
These measures, both symbolic and material, resulted from years of grassroots mobilization, from petition campaigns blocking trade delegations since 2014 to recent court orders halting military-related exports.
While earlier proposals faced rejection, persistent pressure led to breakthroughs, like the ICC referral of Israeli soldiers, with Botenga emphasizing that such local actions prove complicity in genocide can, and must be challenged.
The myth of European democracy
In the interview, Botenga argued that Europe's failure to uphold ICJ and ICC rulings on Gaza exposes the hypocrisy of EU claims to champion human rights and international law.
He contended that European leaders selectively apply these principles based on geopolitical and economic interests, granting impunity to allies like "Israel" while punishing adversaries. The willingness to overlook genocide and war crimes, he maintained, reveals a system where Western interests consistently override universal values.
He emphasized how this approach dehumanizes not just Palestinians but all populations affected by Western-backed violence, normalizing a world where might makes right. By rejecting multilateralism and the rules-based order they claim to defend, European powers risk global chaos.
Botenga cited Colombian president Gustavo Petro's warning that Gaza represents a dangerous precedent, one that threatens global democracy and legitimizes endless war.
The interview underscored how Europe's actions contradict its rhetoric, prioritizing power over principle while dismissing both international law and public opposition to its complicity in atrocities.
The quest against imperialism, fascism, and racism
Upon being asked about the connection between Germany’s anti-fascist movement and solidarity with Palestine, Botenga stated that he is not surprised that far-right parties are the biggest supporters of "Israel", just like how they supported the apartheid system in South Africa. He noted that the clash between imperialism and the quest against fascism and racism has always been linked.
Botenga argued that colonialism served as a blueprint for fascism, with its racial hierarchies, dehumanization, and mass violence later applied in Europe, yet this connection is often overlooked in public debate. He highlighted that the suppression of pro-Palestine movements is widespread in Europe.
The MEP warned that Europe is increasingly adopting Israeli repressive tactics, from crowd control methods and digital surveillance to "battle-tested" weapons, raising concerns that these tools of occupation and apartheid could soon be turned against workers, unions, and social movements in Europe.
He pointed to the violent crackdowns on Palestinian solidarity protests across Europe, from police assaults in Germany to arrests and job losses for speaking out, as part of a long history of Western repression against movements challenging state power, from Vietnam War opposition to Algerian independence struggles.
The EU parliament member highlighted the crucial role of unions in resisting oppression, noting how European workers have refused to handle arms shipments to "Israel" and launched solidarity campaigns, from funding Gaza hospitals to demanding an end to EU-"Israel" military trade.
