World

Why is the EU silent on South Africa's genocide case against Israel?

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2024

Why is the EU silent on South Africa's genocide case against Israel?

The first hearing in a landmark lawsuit against Israel enters its second day on Friday at the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The case, filed to the top UN court by South Africa last month, claims Israel’s siege of Gaza amounts to genocide and breaches the post-Holocaust 1948 Genocide Convention.

The Convention gives party countries, which include both Israel and South Africa, the collective right to prevent and stop crimes of genocide. Such crimes are defined as acts “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.”

The high-stakes legal battle marks the first time Israel defends its war campaign in the Gaza Strip before a court of law since the conflict erupted on October 7. The criminal charge is also highly symbolic for a country that was created to provide security for Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, the largest genocide in history.

As ICJ cases traditionally take years before a ruling is reached, South Africa has asked the Court to provisionally call for a ceasefire to appease suffering in the besieged Gaza Strip, where, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 23,000 people have been killed since October.

Israel has vowed to contest the case which it says amounts to “blood libel.” Its Western allies, the United Kingdom and the United States, have also chimed in with vehement criticism.

By contrast, other nations, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Jordan, Malaysia, the Maldives, Turkey, Venezuela as well as the 57-country Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), have formally backed the move.

So where does the European Union stand?

‘Not for the EU to comment’

The EU, whose efforts to mediate in the Israel-Hamas war have been plagued by its 27 member states’ incoherent positions, has mostly maintained silent on the case.

A European Commission spokesperson this week reaffirmed the bloc’s support to the ICJ but stopped short of backing the genocide case against Israel.

“Regarding this specific case, countries have the right to submit cases or lawsuits. The European Union is not part of this lawsuit,” Peter Stano, spokesperson for foreign affairs, said on Tuesday. “This is not for us to comment at all.”

The tight-lipped response follows the EU’s efforts to tread a neutral line on the conflict, endorsing Israel’s right to self-defence while calling for the protection of civilian life in Gaza and unhindered provisions of humanitarian aid.

But Brussels has so far refrained from collectively calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, opting rather to urge for “humanitarian pauses” to ensure critical aid reaches civilians in need.

In a sign the bloc is slowly gravitating towards sharper calls for Israeli restraint, a majority of EU countries backed a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a cease in hostilities in December. Countries including Germany, seen as a staunch ally of Israel, have also recently condemned far-right Israeli ministers’ calls to resettle Palestinians out of Gaza.

Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic – all considered staunch allies of Israel – have voiced scepticism about the case.

Speaking from Israel on Thursday as the hearing took place in the Hague, Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said: “You can criticise the Israeli army for acting too harshly in the Gaza strip, but that is not genocide.”

“Those who would commit or want to commit genocide, if they could, are Hamas,” Habeck added. “Their agenda is to wipe out the State of Israel.”

In a joint statement issued Thursday, the Austrian Chancellor and Czech Prime Minister expressed similar doubts.

“We oppose any attempts to politicize the ICJ,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

Hungary is the only country that has explicitly condemned South Africa’s ICJ case, with foreign minister Péter Szijjártó denouncing the “legal attack launched against Israel” on social media platform Facebook.

“To accuse a country that has suffered a terrorist attack of genocide is obviously nonsense,” Szijjártó said. “We believe that it is in the interest of the whole world that the current anti-terrorist operations are successfully completed in order to prevent such a brutal terrorist attack from happening anywhere in the world ever again.”

Supporters isolated

EU voices endorsing South Africa’s lawsuit are so far sparse and isolated.

Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter, whose government is seen as the most supportive of Palestinians in Europe, said on Tuesday she would urge Belgium to formally back South Africa’s case.

The Belgian government, a complex coalition of seven parties, has not yet endorsed de Sutter’s call but has committed €5 million in additional funding for the International Criminal Court (ICC) – another international court based in the Hague often confused for the ICJ – to investigate possible war crimes in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, whose government has been hailed as one of the most supportive of Palestinian statehood across Europe, has ruled out any possibility Ireland would join the case, despite pressure from Irish lawmakers.

“I really think this is an area where we need to be very careful,” Varadkar told RTÉ Radio over the weekend.

“Hamas went into Israel (on October 7), killed 1,400 people (…) essentially because they were Israelis, because they were Jews, because they lived in Israel. Was that not also genocide?” Varadkar questioned.

Spain, also an outspoken critic of Israel’s war campaign in Gaza, has also refrained from commenting despite 250 legal experts submitting a petition calling for the government’s backing on Wednesday.

Speaking to Euronews, Philippe Dam, EU Director for Advocacy at Human Rights Watch, said that the ICJ case is an opportunity for the EU to “reaffirm its attachment to justice and accountability” in the context of the conflict in Gaza.

“It’s essential for the European Union and its member states to be really clear that they do support judiciary and judicial processes at the international level,” he said.

“They should urgently back up the initiative at the court,” Dam added, “but also make sure that they will spare no effort to ensure that provisional measures from the court – that we hope will come up in a few weeks – will be complied with by Israel.”

Related Topics:European Union Featured genocide International Court of Justice israel hamas war

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World

Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

Published

8 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

From being just a fringe risk, conflict in the Middle East has become a top worry for investors unsettled by the prospect of a power struggle in Iran and a protracted regional war, with ramifications for everything from global trade to inflation.

World

Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

Published

10 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

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The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.

Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”

“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”

Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.

As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.

The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.

TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.

“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.

“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME

Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)

Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.

Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.

“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.

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“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.

“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

World

Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Published

11 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said Europe “does not have unified position” on what role it should play in Iran as European ministers sought to establish a joint approach Sunday.

As Israel and the United States conducted a joint military strike on Iran, leading to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Europe was kept on the sidelines.

EU member states did not participate in the operation and, in some cases, they were not informed prior as it is customary among strategic allies.

Asked whether Israel sought to keep Europe on the margins, Sa’ar said internal divisions within EU member states had kept them out of critical exchanges of operational details, unlike the United States, which the minister described as his country’s greatest ally.

“In Europe, you have all kinds of approaches,” he told Euronews. “You have countries like the Czech Republic which is strongly supporting this operation and then you have Spain, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world.”

On Saturday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was among the most critical voices in Europe, suggesting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk plunging the region into total war.

“We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Sánchez said Saturday. The Spanish PM reiterated that message on Sunday.

“We urge for de-escalation and call to respect international law in all conflicts,” Sánchez added. “You can be against a heinous regime, like the Iranian regime, while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous and outside of international law.”

Sa’aar said Israel considers the operation “fully justified” citing the right to self-defense from a regime that “has called for the destruction of Israel” and lashed at the Spanish prime minister for sending an “anti-Israeli, anti-American message.”

“Read the statement, they are standing with Iran!” he added.

When asked if any of his European counterparts had manifested an interest in joining the military operation or provide support on the ground, Sa’ar said he held multiple exchanges with European ministers over the weekend and suggested that “if others want to join, they will know have to convey the message.”

On Sunday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared to back regime change in Iran in line with Israel and the US, saying that the “risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed” in comments on Sunday.

Sa’ar told Euronews said the strategic strikes and the elimination of Khamenei alongside top regime commanders could “create the conditions to weaken the regime enough to allow the Iranians to take their future into their own hands”.

“The future leadership of Iran should be determined by the Iranian people through free elections. Our only requirement is that whoever comes to power in Iran must not pursue the destruction of Israel,” he said.

Watch the full interview on Euronews from 8pm CET