Protests by a group of activists in front of the EU building in Sarajevo: Cease fire in Gaza immediately

(Patria) - Across from the European Union Delegation building in Sarajevo today, a group of activists held a protest aimed at drawing attention to the war in Gaza and the direct support the EU provides to Israel.

Recently, a protest was also held across from the US Embassy in Sarajevo, while female activists held a banner across from the BiH Presidency during Ursula von der Leyen's visit.

"The goal of the protest is to draw attention to the current crisis in Palestine and to express concern over the direct military, financial, and diplomatic support that the EU and its member states provide to Israel, which ultimately contributes to the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people in Gaza," they stated.

They pointed out the obvious violations of human and international rights in Gaza.

"The EU's role as a model of balance is now overshadowed by its unequivocal and unconditional support for Israel, especially amidst the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Ursula von der Leyen, the current President of the European Commission, implicitly supports the dehumanization of Gaza's residents. Despite her condemnation of Russia's power outages in Ukraine as a war crime, there appears to be a clear inconsistency when it comes to Israel's blockade of essential resources in Gaza, where starvation is used as a weapon against civilians," they stated.

Bilateral relations between the EU and Israel, governed by the 1995 Agreement and the 2005 Plan, indicate a deep economic connection. Total trade between the EU and Israel reached 46.8 billion euros in 2022, and Israeli entities have also significantly benefited from EU research funds, securing 1,661 grants totaling 1.28 billion euros in the Horizon Research and Development Program (H2020).

"Major Israeli military firms, Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which supply the IDF, receive financial support from the EU. The use of weapons such as armed drone swarms and cluster bombs by Elbit, considered illegal under international law, raises ethical dilemmas. Israel Aerospace Industries, a key partner in monitoring the wall around Gaza, further links the EU to acts that violate international humanitarian law," they added.

For decades, EU member states have provided military equipment to the Israeli occupation forces, with nearly 30 percent of their main conventional armaments coming from Germany (23.9 percent) and Italy (5.9 percent).

"The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) details the supply of anti-ship/anti-submarine weapons, surface-to-air missiles, naval guns, and combat aircraft, while the European Network Against Arms Trade reveals that EU arms exports to Israel from 2011 to 2020 were valued at 4.1 billion euros. Due to this evidence, EU member states are complicit in war crimes and must take responsibility.

The EU cannot offer a political 'blank check' when high-ranking Israeli officials announce violations of international humanitarian law (such as Energy Minister Israel Katz stating that water and electricity will not be allowed into Gaza until hostages are released). The EU's humanitarian aid worth 75 million euros to Gaza, amidst evidence of war crimes and genocide, is confusing. This commitment to Israel appears to be a desperate attempt to protect economic interests, but at the same time, questions are raised about the EU's priorities."

Given the above, they urgently called on the EU to adopt the following demands:

- Suspend unconditional support for Israel: Withdraw any form of support for Israel given the evidence of war crimes and human rights violations;
- Suspend ties with the apartheid regime: Suspend diplomatic relations with the Israeli government until it ceases violating international law;
- Sanctions and accountability: Impose sanctions on Israel equivalent to those applied in other geopolitical contexts, and call for accountability of Israeli military and political personnel involved in war crimes against Palestinian civilians;
- Arms import embargo: Impose an embargo on arms imports to Israel;
- Suspend trade with Israel;
- Suspend the allocation of grants and any other form of financing to Israel.