The European Elections in Context: EU Complicity in Genocide in Gaza

 

Niamh Ní Bhriain, Transnational Institute (TNI)

 

4pm, Monday 27 May 2024
MUSSI Seminar Room, Iontas Building

 

This June as voters take to the polls for the European Parliament elections, they will do so against the backdrop of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza. For years, European public money has been used to fund Israeli arms companies, universities and other entities involved in the research and development of security and military technologies, while EU member states export arms and military equipment to Israel. The EU, and its member states, also import weapons and surveillance technology from Israel, which are marketed as 'battle-proven' having been 'tested' on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank for years.

 

In this seminar, Niamh Ní Bhriain will explore the longstanding relationship between the EU and Israel, looking in particular at the arms trade. She will also discuss events in Brussels since 7 October 2023, including how European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen overstepped her mandate and green-lit Israel's genocide on behalf of Europe, as well as the various attempts by the European Parliament and the European Council to call for a ceasefire. Niamh will also ask why an arms embargo has not been placed on exports to Israel.

 

Niamh’s presentation will be based on research for a forthcoming report, Partners in Crime: EU complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which will be published by TNI & Stop Wapenhadel in advance of the European elections.