Why the EU must stand with Israel

This past weekend saw a new phase in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The horrors inflicted upon innocent people of Jewish ethnicity ought to remind everyone of some of the darkest chapters of our own European history. These savage attacks are not the first carried out by Hamas, but they are unique both in scale and in public reaction. After decades of unilateral condemnation of Israel from the EU as well as the UN, the international community finally appears to accept what I have argued for years in my role as vice chair of the European Parliament’s Israel delegation together with my colleagues in the ECR group, namely that Israel has a right to defend itself and any democratic union should stand in solidarity with Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East and only safe haven for Jews in the world.

First, the EU must immediately suspend all foreign aid to Palestinian organisations. The EU is the Palestinian organisations largest donor, with contributions of over €200 million annually. For this reason, we were utterly dismayed that four EU countries chose to block the suspension of aid that was previously announced by the European Commission. Like in Afghanistan, foreign aid is inadvertently serving to prop up a hostile, totalitarian regime that, without it, would surely have collapsed. Foreign aid to the Fatah-controlled areas on the West Bank should also be frozen, at least until authorities there condemn the attacks. While the focus right now is on Hamas, we must remember that the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah also seeks to ultimately wipe Israel off the map.

Against this, critics argue that whatever actions Hamas undertakes, it is wrong to allow civilians to suffer. However, while anyone can empathize with the plight of those civilians who do not support Hamas, they are effectively hostages, dangled by an evil regime that uses the existence of these “good Palestinians” to extort aid from Western countries. 

For the first time in decades, the Middle East seems to be headed for total war, and civilian casualties might be inevitable. Whatever actions taken by the EU, Israel will likely not allow Hamas to survive this. A collapse of the Hamas regime will hopefully ultimately save more lives than it will cost. 

In the meantime, the EU needs to prepare to deal with a potential refugee situation. Another wave of refugees coming to European shores would bring chaos and risk the breaking of already fragile social safety nets. For security reasons, Israel obviously cannot be expected to welcome Palestinian refugees. Now is the time for the neighbouring Middle Eastern countries, particularly Egypt, to step up. The EU needs to do all in its power to ensure that refugees receive help in nearby countries.  

The painful reality is that, as much as we may wish that what we saw this weekend was the work of evil men, polls indicate Hamas continues to have the support of large majorities among those living in Gaza, also supported by donations from Iran. Almost as worrying is that Hamas clearly enjoys the support of many ordinary Muslims across Europe, as evidenced by the open street celebrations witnessed in many major European cities. Further cementing its grip on power is the fact that Hamas also enjoys political and financial support from Iran and Qatar.

That Hamas enjoys such strong support in Gaza is one reason why a two-state solution at this point must be considered a fantasy, a political dead horse that cannot and will not be resurrected no matter how hard it is beaten. Groups like Hamas have no intention to peacefully coexist, and a “two-state solution” if it somehow came about, would merely be a stepping stone, allowing them to more effectively use an on-paper legitimate state apparatus to terrorise Israel, not dissimilar from how the Taliban used its control of the government of Afghanistan to shield Al-Qaida in the years leading up to the World Trade Centre attacks.

Those arguing for a two-state idea implicitly assume that the likes of Hamas are acting out of legitimate grievances with Israel and its so called “settler policies”. History, however, teaches us that the kind of hatred that motivates savagery like we witnessed this weekend is not based on reason, but religious and political dogma. Hamas themselves have made no secret that they seek the destruction of the Jewish state. Poll after poll have also indicated that a two-state solution has lost support among both Israelis and Palestinians, and after the events of the last few days, it is difficult to see this trend reversing. By promoting a two-state solution, the EU is not promoting an amicable compromise, but rather showcasing its tone-deafness.

It is also important to recall that, within the Hamas-controlled Gaza, Muslims enjoy far fewer civil rights than they enjoy in Israel. Those who propose solutions to the conflict that would allow the likes of Hamas to remain in charge would do well to understand that citizens living in any and all territory left in the hands of Hamas never will enjoy the basic human rights that the EU prides itself on promoting.

Instead of the two-state idea, our focus must be to unite behind Israel and its unity government as it works to dissolve Hamas and demilitarize Gaza. Only once this has been achieved humanitarian aid may be restored, and when it is, this aid should no longer misused for providing children with antisemitic textbooks. 

Finally, the EU needs to crack down on Hamas’ allies by labelling the Revolutionary Guard of Iran and the political wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist group and improve the monitoring of individuals with Islamist sympathies. 

The road that lies ahead is not easy, and neither are the choices that we as policy-makers now have to make. In situations like these, my group and I are guided first and foremost by our belief in democracy and the preservation of national sovereignty and human dignity. 

The sober fact remains that, amidst rising antisemitism in the west, the safe haven provided by Israel for the Jews of the world – the only such safe haven of its kind – has proven absolutely necessary. And that is why we, at this precarious moment, choose to stand side by side with Israel and against the terrorists who would bring it down.