The United Nations Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory has sharply criticised the European Union, accusing it of wilfully enabling Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Francesca Albanese denounced the bloc’s refusal to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel, despite overwhelming evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Albanese described the EU’s stance as a final betrayal of its professed values. “This isn’t just passive inaction, it’s active support,” she warned, calling on European citizens and governments to uphold international law and sever ties, especially in trade and arms, with a regime that stands accused of systematically erasing Palestinian life.

Since October 2023, Israel has waged a devastating assault on Gaza, killing over 58,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, while levelling entire neighbourhoods and choking off basic necessities. Despite growing international demands for accountability, EU ministers failed to reach any consensus this week, leaving the agreement with Israel intact.

While Gaza’s children starve and epidemics spread among the rubble, Europe’s silence grows louder. For Palestinians, it is yet another reminder that justice remains selective, and human rights, conditional.