Europe’s Eelective Justice: A Court for Russia, Silence for Netanyahu
It seems as though Europe has only one eye — one that sees a single event on the planet. It fixates on the Russian-Ukrainian war, levels accusations against Moscow, and yet throws behind its back the horrific images and scenes of the crimes committed by Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza. Europe not only ignores these atrocities but also supports Israel with the most powerful weapons, provides it with political cover, and suppresses any local solidarity with the victims.
The European Union openly practices double standards. It works to establish a European court to prosecute Russia for its military operations in Ukraine — operations Moscow launched in defense of its national security against President Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime, which was on the verge of setting up intelligence bases targeting and provoking Russia. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces are waging a relentless war against civilians in Gaza, killing, injuring, and displacing more than two million people who now live under conditions of hardship unseen in modern wars combined.
Europe has not spoken of prosecuting Netanyahu or his army for the crimes they have committed against humanity, despite claiming to champion human rights, freedoms, and the right to a dignified life. Instead, it focuses on limited areas of destruction in Ukraine while ignoring the acts of geographic and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Worse still, it provides Israel with full support under the pretext of its “right to self-defense.”
Russia, for its part, is fighting an organized state and a regular army, concentrating its operations on military zones and weapons depots. Israel, however, deliberately targets tents, civilians, and hospitals, committing a genocide beyond imagination — one that has taken the lives of academics, doctors, thinkers, artists, journalists, and their families.
Europe presses ahead with this move — creating a court without any international or United Nations mandate. Even the United States, its closest ally, has refused to participate, calling the initiative an illusion and a bubble that will soon burst. This comes after Washington itself grew disillusioned with Zelensky’s behavior; former U.S. President Donald Trump once described him during his campaign as “the richest beggar in history,” mired in corruption alongside his political and military entourage.
European countries now fix their eyes on establishing a court — even if illegitimate — involving several nations, especially from what is now termed the Global South. These countries have been offered numerous incentives by Europe, including promises of future investment opportunities in Ukraine, particularly in the wheat sector (already dominated by the U.S.), as well as reconstruction, technology, and artificial intelligence industries. Yet these sectors are already reserved for Western powers. What is being presented to the Global South is nothing more than a temporary illusion that will end up draining their resources through the lure of investing in a bankrupt Ukraine already indebted by hundreds of billions to Europe and the United States.
These nations must clearly reject participation and avoid creating hostility toward countries that oppose Western policies. European states are not genuinely seeking justice or human rights. Otherwise, they would have recognized the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza, prosecuted the perpetrators, and not the judges who dared to hold them accountable. Instead, Europe claims to fight anti-Semitism by banning Palestinian flags and prohibiting demonstrations denouncing Israeli crimes.
