EU Criticism of Israel's Apartheid Nation-State Law Is Not Enough

Rasa - The European Union, which has dozens of companies operating in occupied Palestinian lands and illegal Israeli settlements, continues to lead a chorus of shallow criticism after Israel passed a controversial law declaring that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country.

News ID: 438858

Date: 28 July 2018 - 21:56

RNA - Adding that the legislation would complicate a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the EU has joined Israeli Arab political leaders, Israeli opposition politicians and liberal Jewish groups in the United States in flagging up concern, with some saying the law amounted to “apartheid”.

But is this lip service really enough? How about some EU-drafted actions and resolutions at the United Nations and the Security Council that firmly condemn and adopt practical measures to stop Israel from using the law to stipulate forever that “Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it”?

Spokeswoman for the EU foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, is free to argue that “we are concerned, we have expressed this concern and we will continue to engage with Israeli authorities in this context.”

She can also say that the EU has been very clear when it comes to the two-state solution, or that it believes it is the only way forward and any step that would further complicate or prevent this solution of becoming a reality “should be avoided.”

She knows better than anyone else that lip service and statements are not enough to stop Israel from building its bogus history through this new “basic law”, just as the way so many non-binding resolutions at the United Nations have failed for decades to hold Israel to account for its crimes against humanity, to stop Israel from attacking Palestinians, from stealing their lands, from blockading their communities, and from murdering Palestinian children.

There is no escaping the moral imperative now. Those who insist on supporting Israel and doing business with its illegal settlements must know that they are supporting an unabashed Apartheid regime. This includes the European Union, the United States and Canada. They further help Israel accelerate segregation and cement Apartheid, making the harm not merely intellectual and political, but physical as well.

According to Fars News Agancy,  Israel has made its choice and it is, unmistakably, the wrong one. The rest of the world must now make its choice: standing on the right side of history and boycotting Israel.

That’s how things must work from now on. Isolating the usurper regime is the only way forward. Beside a trade embargo and reluctance of multinational corporations to invest in Israel, Tel Aviv should also face difficulty in striking military deals with other countries. The isolation would certainly prompt Israel to drop the controversial law and focus on making peace with the Palestinians. It would also force the racist regime to lift its illegal blockade on Gaza and allow the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes.

This isn’t too much to ask. The Zionist regime doesn’t represent all the Jewish people. They don't even represent all the Jews living on Ocuppied Palestinian lands. Just like any other nation in the world, the long-suffering people of Palestine have the right to exist. Israel shouldn’t be allowed to take that basic right away from them through its so-called “basic law”.

Meantime, a careful reading of history says Palestinians have no choice but to confront Israel’s brutal and profoundly racist colonial occupation and law. They must take to the streets to win freedom, justice and equality. They have to fight for the end of occupation, full equality for Palestinian citizens and the right of all refugees to return home. Rights are not given. They are taken.

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