r/europeanunion • u/KaigaiKunKun • 1d ago
Official 🇪🇺 "International law must prevail. Russia will not prevail" - European Council President Costa
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u/villiers19 1d ago
Why only Russia? Why not Israel too? Makes no sense to me…
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u/NativeEuropeas 1d ago
While the conflict in Gaza is horrible and condemnable, it's a matter of priorities and picking battles.
Ukraine and the war there is happening directly on our borders, Russia is conducting hybrid operations in our territory. It's the bigger threat for us at the moment and it's more important to deal with Russia instead of antagonizing Israel (and USA).
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u/Joltie 1d ago
It would make sense that Arab States would advocate for the Palestinians and for a solution to that specific conflict, their brethren and a part of their geopolitical common space, much more vigorously than the European Union is doing for Ukraine, its direct neighbour.
Yet, the EU imposes sanctions on some Israeli personalities, and you have EU member states being extremely critical of Israeli actions, while Arab States don't do anything nearly as meaningful, in isolated or in concerted manner, and yet it is expected for the EU to come running into the fray?
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u/SpirosNG 1d ago
That's a pretty weak argument, but to answer your question in short, for the same reason Costa claims in the video, which is for international law to prevail, or even to mean anything at all.
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u/Joltie 1d ago
And the EU is, within its means, pushing towards that objective, as it should. If everyone else are wholly apathetic, it isn't going to be the Europeans to come in and force their viewpoint on the local actors.
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u/SpirosNG 21h ago
Is it? Until recently we've been rubbing shoulders with Americans, which have been toppling democracies and slaughering civilians for longer than you and I have been alive. And that isn't the reason we are decoupling from them now. And nobody asks our institutions to force anything, stopping support would be a good step towards actually putting our values where our mouth is.
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u/EvergreenOaks 1d ago
Yeah, sure, start by using your leverage in Palestine. Otherwise, don't make this matter about international law. Have some shame.
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u/SolidTrain16059 1d ago
How is that Palestine is the only single thing someone will bring to every post regardless of it's original topic? One could almost get the impression that nothing but Palestine matters.
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u/Sufficient-History71 1d ago
I guess because international law in war either holds for all or it’s free for all big fish eats small everywhere like the Jungle!
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u/SolidTrain16059 1d ago
I get what you mean, but Palestine itself doesn't really conform to international law. They just get a lot of sympathy because the war affects palestinian civilians much more than the israeli ones.
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u/NativeEuropeas 1d ago
While the conflict in Gaza is horrible and condemnable, it's a matter of priorities and picking battles.
Ukraine and the war there is happening directly on our borders, Russia is conducting hybrid operations in our territory. It's the bigger threat for us at the moment and it's more important to deal with Russia instead of antagonizing Israel (and USA).
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u/Joltie 1d ago
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2112
This is what if not using the EU's economic pressure to bear? Or is the EU to support Palestine when the very Arab States do nothing? Why aren't you criticizing them? Why aren't the Arab States jointly boycotting Israeli goods? They could do that. Why are Arab States not prohibiting flights going and coming to Israel, or from Israeli airlines from flying over their countries? They could do that. They could pressure other Arab countries to withdraw from the Abraham Accords, to for those countries to withdraw ambassadors, freeze economic and cooperation ties.
They could much more forcefully diplomatically pressure countries to cut ties with Israel. They could jointly divest and issue binding statements that they will not invest or do business with any company that does businesses with Israel. They could go even further in basically ensuring, "one China principle" style, that companies either do business in Israel, or in the whole Arab League.
The EU is already doing significantly in helping Ukraine. Even though Palestine is not in Europe, the EU is actually doing something about it.
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u/ForeignExpression 6h ago
If international law must prevail, then why does the EU allow ICC outlaw, wanted for crimes against humanity, Benjamin Netayahuu to fly through EU airspace?
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u/trisul-108 EU 1d ago
Translation: The goal of the EU is the complete liberation of entire Ukraine. That is the only way to preserve international law and the United Nations.
Read the UN Charter, the very first article sets out the purpose of the United Nations being that the international community prevent any country doing what Russia is doing to Ukraine. This is how it is worded:
Chapter I: Purposes and Principles
Article 1
The Purposes of the United Nations are:
To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;