^{The headquarters of the European Commission, which serves as the executive arm of the European Union, in Brussels, Belgium, on April 15, 2011. Credit: Jai79 via Wikimedia Commons.}

Mike Wagenheim

B’nai B’rith International stated on Monday that it “repudiates” what it called a biased European Union report, which was leaked on June 20 and which suggests measures be taken against Israel for possible violations of international law in Gaza and Judea and Samaria.

“In its one-sided account of Israel’s actions in Gaza, the report entirely omits Hamas persecution of Palestinian civilians, including violent beatings and executions of perceived opponents, large-scale theft of humanitarian aid and the use of Palestinian civilian infrastructure as human shields,” the more than 180-year-old Jewish nonprofit’s president and CEO stated.

The EU’s External Action Service produced the eight-page report, which was intended to be confidential but was leaked on Friday. It was commissioned by 17 of the union’s 27 member states, and two other members subsequently signed on.

It relies heavily on data provided by the United Nations and former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, both of whom Israel sees as biased against Jerusalem.

“To support its findings, the report relies on a set of U.N. reports and allegations, the same body whose U.N. Relief and Works Agency staff were involved in the atrocities of Oct. 7,” the B’nai B’rith leaders stated.

“The same body whose representatives, most notoriously Francesca Albanese, have regularly peddled in antisemitic libels and virulent anti-Israel positions,” the leaders said. “The same agency which has had to retract its situational evaluations upon proof that its employees had irresponsibly presented false and misleading data.”

The EU-Israel Association Agreement is the foundational document of trade relations between Israel and EU member states. It covers political dialogue and cooperation in key industries. Israel stands accused by some governments of violating Article 2, which deals with human rights obligations.

“Hamas has used Palestinian civilians as human shields in a deliberate attempt to maximize the number of civilian casualties, actually hiding terrorists under occupied hospital beds, to cite just one example,” the B’nai B’rith leaders wrote. “Hamas has been stealing the thousands of tons of humanitarian aid Israel has delivered to Gaza.”

Kaja Kallas, high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission, said after a meeting in Brussels on Monday that if Israel doesn’t “improve the situation” in Gaza, the EU will discuss “further measures,” including suspension of the association agreement, next month.

“Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground,” Kallas stated. “If the situation does not improve, then we can discuss further measures and come back in July.”

Germany and the Czech Republic, EU member states and allies of Israel, are likely to block any potential action, as unanimous consent is required.

“We thank all countries that have until now taken the principled stance of opposing attempts to invalidate the EU-Israel Association Agreement and reiterate our concern at the lack of situational understanding, if not ill-will, showcased in this report,” the B’nai B’rith leaders stated.

The Israeli government reportedly decried the report in a letter to the EU diplomatic service, noting that the report fails to mention the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, as the basis of Jerusalem’s military response, nor Iran’s patronage of other terror proxies throughout the region, which threaten Israel’s existence.

“In the midst of this grim reality, the European Union is considering a ‘review’ of its relationship with Israel. This is not a policy adjustment. It is a moral distortion,” Israel wrote in the document, which it sent last Wednesday ahead of the leak.

“Such an initiative is not only unjustified. It is outrageous and indecent,” Israel’s government wrote. “It reflects a blunt failure to distinguish between a democracy defending its citizens and genocidal countries and organizations that target Israeli civilians and use their own as human shields. It demonstrates a blindness to the real threat: to Israel, to regional stability and ultimately to Europe itself.”

Source: JNS