Europe redefines its role towards Palestine

Last week the European Parliament backed the recognition of a Palestinian state. This happened soon after the European Court of Justice had suggested removing Hamas from the EU's list of terrorist organisations, and Sweden officially recognised a Palestinian state.

The British, Irish, Spanish and French parliaments have also voted to recognise a Palestinian state, with varying degrees of legislative import.

Europe countries did not stop there. France, backed by Britain and Germany, has drafted a resolution that is submitted to the UN Security Council (UNSC), calling for a

Europe has decided to stop playing the role of a charity, and has returned to its natural position as an influential actor.

time limit to be set for Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967 to pave the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

By focusing on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Europe is showing it is no longer willing to simply be a fund that distributes money and humanitarian aid, and rebuilds what the Israel has destroyed.

Europe has changed its position for for several reasons. First, public opinion in European no longer accepts successive Israeli government policies that ignore its responsibilities as an occupying power under international law: the building of settlements despite international appeals for them to stop, the bombing of Palestinian civilians, and on-going attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

European decision-makers are unable to justify such Israeli policies to their citizens, polices that have ignored European advice and demand that they defends indefensible actions.

Second, European society has broken free of the memory of the holocaust, which today's generations did not live through.

Natural role

Third, new forms of media and social media give Europeans access to alternative news sources, rather than public and private media outlets owned predominantly by capitalist Zionists or dominated by Zionists, or mainstream outlets that too often succumb to pro-Israel pressure.

Europeans, in other words, have alternative news sources to the BBC, Fox News, Sky and CNN, and now receive images directly from mobile phones and social media before they have been censored or distorted. Traditionally, European media has never failed to propagate the Israeli narrative of victimhood and terrorism, while ignoring the Palestinian narrative of ethnic cleansing and displacement.

Fourth, Israel has failed to be "the protector of European and US interests" or the "policeman" of the Middle East. Instead, it has become a bully that defies international law and insults European human values.

New Europe, it seems, has decided to rebel against US appropriation of the role of mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, especially because the US is blindly biased towards Israel and no longer fit to be an honest broker. Europe has decided to stop playing the role of the Red Cross, fire brigade or a charity, and has returned to its natural position as an influential actor in determining the future of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Pending further bold European policies observers have waited for the US and Israelis reaction. This began in predictable form with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu attacking European politicians and members of parliament as hypocrites who had learnt nothing from history.

This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.