Opinion by Koert Debeuf: "I’m often asked whether it still makes sense to keep protesting"

Many people feel despondent when they see how little is changing in the conflict in Gaza, writes Koert Debeuf. But over the past few days, we’ve reached a kind of tipping point.

Published in De Standaard (in Dutch)

Prabowo Subianto, the new president of Indonesia, struggled to hide his frustration. A few weeks ago, he spoke at the annual Antalya Forum in Turkey. For decades, he said, Europe has lectured us – often wagging its finger – on how Indonesia should respect international law, democracy, and human rights. That, in itself, wasn’t a bad thing, he added, because it helped move his country forward in many ways. But why doesn’t that apply to Israel? Why is Europe suddenly silent, letting the Israeli government violate every rule of law imaginable?

The Indonesian president is not alone. His criticism of Europe’s hypocrisy and double standards is shared across the globe. It’s no coincidence that South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, seeking to have what’s happening in Gaza recognised as genocide. A final ruling is still pending, but the Court has already ordered Israel to do everything possible to prevent a genocide. Israel’s nine-week blockade of food, aid, and medicine into Gaza shows that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government is ignoring these demands.

This criticism of Europe isn’t new. When Russia invaded Ukraine, more than half the countries around the world refused to impose sanctions. Not because they believed the war was justified or legal. No, they believed the West was hypocritical to demand sanctions now when, back in 2003, it invaded Iraq illegally, justified by lies, and then practically forced those same countries to support it. It’s increasingly clear that much of the world is fed up with international law being applied only to countries outside the West and its allies. The West doesn’t seem to see what the rest of the world plainly does.

Red Line
But it would be wrong to talk about “all of Europe” or “the whole West.” Protests are happening everywhere – including here at home. On Sunday 11 May, tens of thousands of Belgians marched through Brussels demanding an end to the blockade and the war against Gaza. A week later, on 18 May, a hundred thousand Dutch protesters marched through The Hague with the same demands. Geert Wilders, the de facto political leader of the Netherlands, wrote on X: “Today, a demo in The Hague against Israel + for Hamas. Thousands of confused people are drawing a red line. I’m drawing a red line too. Against terror and Hamas starving its own people, and for maximally destroying their murderous infrastructure. And for Israel.”

But the rest of the world sees this differently. And even in Israeli newspapers, we’re reading a different story. Moreover, a spokesperson for the Israeli army admitted a few months ago – in a rare moment of candour – that Hamas cannot be defeated militarily. Reports now confirm that assessment, showing that even after more than a year and a half of war, Hamas’s numbers haven’t even been weakened. And you don’t need to have the slightest sympathy for Hamas to recognise that the organisation isn’t responsible for the famine in Gaza. So who’s really confused here?

The hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets across Europe – or making their voices heard in other ways – aren’t confused. They know very well that the European Union was founded on the principle that war and genocide should never be allowed to happen again. The post-Second World War global order, established by Europe and the United States, is based on the pillars of international law and human rights. That’s what these two champions have always stood for, and what they’ve tried to promote – or at least claim to promote – worldwide. Those trying to persuade European and American leaders to hold that line when it comes to Israel aren’t confused. The red line they’re drawing is crystal clear.

Tipping Point
I’m often asked whether it still makes sense to keep protesting and to keep calling Belgian and European politicians to account. Many people feel disheartened, seeing how little seems to be changing. I tell them that I read Israeli newspapers every day, and I notice that European protests are indeed being covered and noticed.

There’s no doubt that Israeli embassies report every protest back to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. And European politicians aren’t completely immune to these protests, even if it often seems they are. But then I’m asked: when will we actually see results?

I believe we’ve reached a kind of tipping point over the past few days. Over the past week, we’ve been reading increasing criticism of Israeli and American policy in American newspapers. France, the UK, and Canada are now suddenly threatening concrete action if Israel continues its blockade and war.

Here at home, Belgian university rectors have taken the lead, jointly calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This call was picked up by the Belgian government and supported by a majority of other EU countries, placing it on the European agenda. For the first time, a resolution was also passed in the Belgian parliament.

Many people will think this still doesn’t go far enough. There’s certainly room to criticise that resolution. The European Foreign Affairs Council’s decision to first "investigate" whether Israel is respecting human rights before reconsidering the association agreement is, frankly, cynical. But at least things are moving, and politicians are finally taking action.

The pressure from so many protests is beginning to bear fruit. But if we want to prevent mass deaths from famine, we’ll need to step up the pressure even more. Let’s just hope it’s not already too late.*

*This is a machine translation. We apologise for any inaccuracies.