Europe's responses to Ukraine, Gaza wars often seen as showing double standard: Borrell

LONDON

The outgoing EU foreign policy chief on Friday acknowledged criticism of the EU’s "double standards" in its inconsistent stance on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, saying that this idea spread widely in the countries of the Global South.

Before leaving his position, Josep Borrell evaluated his five-year tenure on his blog, reflecting on Gaza and other issues days before he is succeeded by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Sunday.

He said the bloc has not managed to be consistent and effective in the Middle East, saying that after Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel’s relentless offensive on Gaza began following a cross-border Hamas attack, “we were unable to speak with one voice or act effectively enough to help obtain a ceasefire, secure the release of the hostages, and ensure respect for international law and the decisions of the Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, and the International Court of Justice in the region."

He said some EU member states are major suppliers of arms to Israel while the EU is the leading supplier of aid to the Palestinian people via the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Authority but is also Israel's leading partner in terms of trade, investment, and exchanges of people.

Borrell said the bloc's "deep divisions" on this issue have largely prevented them from influencing the course of events, despite the growing number of civilian casualties – over 44,000 killed by Israel to date.

"This impotence and passivity, in contrast to the vigour of our commitment in support of Ukraine, have often been perceived outside the Union as the sign of a ‘double standard’: in the eyes of Europeans, the life of a Palestinian would not be worth as much as that of a Ukrainian."

He said that although the vast majority of EU citizens certainly do not share this point of view, that does not stop this idea from spreading widely in the countries of the Global South.

Borrell added: "And not just in Muslim countries: I was struck by the extent to which this criticism was also regularly levelled at us throughout Latin America or Sub-Saharan Africa."

In a brutal offensive since October 2023, Israel has killed nearly 44,300 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 105,000.

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.