EU 동향

 

 

The assassination took place amidst Haniyeh’s visit to Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president. This occurred a day after the death of the top military commander of Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group, in Beirut due to a retaliatory Israeli air strike.[1] As if to catalyze the already volatile chain reaction, Iran declared war on Israel, claiming that it was their responsibility to revenge Haniyeh’s death as part of the Axis. Hamas has for decades been a close ally of Iran, existing as part of what is called the “Axis of Resistance,” which is a regional alliance system – between Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi militia in Yemen, and various other Shi'ite Muslim armed groups in Iraq and Syria – backed by Iranian support.[3] This alliance system, however, that promotes destructive retaliation rather than guarantees mutual protection is precisely what limits the Western powers to support Israeli military actions. For instance, the United States as a primary ally may face difficulties in handling Arab nations’ backlash and global public opinion upholding Palestinian rights. At the same time, countries like Russia and China may attempt to seize the opportunity to expand into the Middle East. Amidst this power struggle between world powers and the possibility of massive flights towards the northern shores of the Mediterranean, Europe has been tasked with determining a specific mechanism and extent to which they should help shape American policy while maintaining its efforts for the Middle East Peace Process. It also seems imperative to reassess its long-term energy purchase strategies to mitigate risks of instability in oil supply chains, especially since several European countries enjoy strong economic ties to the Middle Eastern region, which is a critical hub for oil production.[4]

On top of ramifications for global geopolitics are the concerning levels of war crimes being persistently perpetrated in the Gaza region. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 90% of the people in Gaza were internally displaced in July, all of which faced critical water shortages, unsafe shelters, and insufficient humanitarian aid.[5] This is likely to worsen in the coming months as the assassination ignited pathways for a broader war. Furthermore, a recent remark of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on how starving more than 2 million Palestinians until hostages captured in Hamas are returned home "might be just and moral" has not only shocked Israel’s Western allies but also highlighted the danger of using the humanitarian crisis as a weapon of war. In particular, the European Union on Wednesday strongly condemned Bezalel’s remark as "beyond ignominious,” noting how “deliberate starvation” breaches the international law and disregards “basic principles of humanity.”[6]

Meanwhile, the killing of the Hamas leader has also been brought up by several delegations as a violation of international law. The Deputy Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, alongside Saudi Arabia and Iran, has referred to the killing as a “criminal breach” of Iran’s territorial integrity and sovereignty since it is a “targeted killing.”[7] Targeted killing is defined as "the intentional and pre-meditated use of lethal force by a state or organized armed group against a specific individual outside their physical custody,” according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Others remain skeptical due to the complexity of assessing the event under various legal frameworks, while others deplore the fact that it is becoming more commonplace and is costing the lives of innocent civilians.[8]