Pavlos Xanthoulis
"Some of the strongest members of the EU choose to remain silent while seeing emaciated children, a truly horrific human abuse, caused by humans." These words come from Irish President Michael Higgins, who, speaking about Gaza, did not hesitate to criticize EU countries that have turned a blind eye, showing unprecedented tolerance toward what a recent UN-commissioned report describes as genocide carried out by the Netanyahu regime.
Indeed, a number of countries, at the leadership level, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Austria, and Italy, have been blocking even symbolic European measures against Israel for months. But the EU’s image is not shaped only by those who stalled decisions targeting Israel; it is also marred by the equally familiar countries that raised obstacles in evaluating Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the EU Association Agreement, further delaying any potential measures. Sadly, Cyprus is among them.
On May 20, four months ago, when the use of hunger as a weapon of war by Israel in Gaza made headlines worldwide and was documented in UN reports alongside evidence constituting genocide, the Christodoulides government chose a side of the story that does not reflect well on it. Not only because it prioritized its own perceived interests over international law, but also because it sidestepped the moral dimension of the issue, the very dimension highlighted by President Higgins.
These actions raise pressing questions:
Is our government able to grasp that the flattening of Gaza, which it has passively watched for two years, combined with Trump’s proposal to transform the Strip into a “Riviera,” effectively displacing Palestinians, is closing the door on a Palestinian state while relegating the UN to a mere bystander on the international stage? Does the government’s political perspective even allow it to link this to other refugee crises, such as the Cyprus issue, where the UN also plays a marginal role?
Does our government even understand the word “genocide,” which dominates the 72-page UN report and is referenced in the recent EU-Israel Association Agreement assessment by the European External Action Service, despite objections from nine member states, including Cyprus?
No justification exists. The UN report attributes the actus reus—the objective element—of genocide in Gaza to Israeli authorities and forces, which, while having the right to self-defense after the horrific Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, have no right to use that as an excuse to annihilate an entire population. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in what amounts to genocide in every sense of the word. The UN report denounces the “extermination” of Palestinians, including children and even infants, who were shot in the head by Israeli snipers.
I cannot say whether Konstantinos Kombos sleeps peacefully, given his positions and arguments at the Foreign Affairs Council on May 20, when he rejected the EU’s assessment of Israel and opposed any measures. At that time, he was fully aware of the use of hunger as a weapon in Gaza and the international outcry over genocide, conveyed by several of his peers.
What I do know is that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaya Kallas, noted that the situation in Gaza would have been less dire if some member states had not blocked EU measures. While her critique primarily targets Germany, it clearly applies to all member states that, in one way or another, hindered the evaluation process of the Association Agreement and delayed potential action against Israel. Cyprus, unfortunately, is part of that story.
*This op-ed was translated from its Greek original
