As the conflict in the Middle East hits Southasia through surging oil prices and fractured supply chains, an initiative aims to bring together Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, alongside European policymakers, journalists and international law experts, to explore what meaningful European engagement in a political solution might look like.
Commentary
By Pavithra Perera WJA/ Sapan News
Today, war speaks a language that world leaders ultimately understand, the cost of a barrel of oil. Once oil prices surge and global supply chains tremble, the war is in everyone’s backyard. Now, every country will be judged by the role it played in this historic moment that is reshaping what it means to be human and what it means to be a citizen in democratic societies.
The Israel-Palestine conflict cannot remain just another everyday news segment, flashing across our television screens or radio bulletins. It should never have been treated that way in the first instance.
As the widening conflict surrounding Israel, Iran and the United States drags the entire Middle East into a dangerous confrontation, it spares no country economically nor politically.
When the Second World War ended in 1945, nations gathered with a solemn promise: “Never again”. The creation of the United Nations was meant to ensure that such a catastrophe would never be repeated. Yet over the decades, the body with the most authority within the organisation, the United Nations Security Council, has often been paralysed by the competing geopolitical interests of its five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
At this moment, the U.S. stands accused of pushing the region towards another global confrontation, while the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues in violation of international law and the United Nations Charter’s prohibition on aggressive war.
Instead of pursuing a neutral diplomatic position aimed at de-escalation, the U.K. has largely aligned with Washington’s strategic approach.France, meanwhile, has taken a more independent stance within Europe. In May 2024, Emmanuel Macron reiterated France’s support for the recognition of a Palestinian state under the two-state framework, echoing positions adopted earlier by Spain, Ireland, and Norway, which formally recognised the State of Palestine in that same month.
Legal scrutiny
Meanwhile, international legal scrutiny of Israel’s military actions in Gaza continues to intensify. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice issued provisional measures in the case brought by South Africa under the Genocide Convention, ordering Israel to prevent acts that could fall under the convention and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. The case remains ongoing.
In March 2023, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, debated legislation that critics warned could expand the use of capital punishment in terrorism cases involving Palestinian prisoners. Human rights groups argued that such proposals risked violating international human rights law and evoked painful historical parallels.
Those historical memories inevitably return to the Nuremberg Trials, where the world confronted the legal machinery that enabled the Nazi genocide. Laws enacted under the Nazi regime had gradually stripped Jewish people of rights before enabling their mass imprisonment and extermination. The lesson was clear: Legal systems can be weaponised.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip continues. A recent United Nations assessment reports the conflict has resulted in more than 71,000 Palestinian fatalities and over 171,000 injuries since the war began following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Some 1,200 people are believed to have been killed in that attack, which also led to the capture of more than 200 hostages. The cycle of violence has since continued to engulf the region.
Where is Europe?
The European Union was originally built on economic cooperation. The project emerged from the devastation of the Second World War through institutions like the European Coal and Steel Community, designed to prevent another continental conflict by tying economies together.
Over the decades, however, the EU has evolved into something far greater than an economic pact. Through the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the Court of Justice of the European Union, the EU has constructed one of the most sophisticated supranational legal and political systems in the modern world, with more than 440 million citizens. It is also the world’s largest trading bloc.
If the United Nations struggles to act decisively, the next logical actor capable of influencing global politics may well be the EU.
One initiative attempting to catalyse such engagement is EPICON — the European Palestine-Israel Trilateral Dialogue Initiative, which aims to bring together Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, alongside European policymakers, journalists and international law experts. Its goal is to reassess the political realities on the ground and explore what meaningful European engagement in a political solution might look like.
So far, EPICON dialogues have taken place in more than 15 European capitals, including Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Vilnius, Riga, Madrid, Bucharest, Sofia, and Athens. The initiative is planning to implement programmes in all 27 EU member states, engaging representatives of the political, media and civil society spheres on a national level.
The initiative is organised by the Candid Foundation, a Berlin-based independent non-profit think tank. Its ambition is to create a transnational network of peace-oriented stakeholders across Israel, Palestine and Europe.
Many discussions take place under Chatham House rule, allowing participants to express controversial views freely without fear of public attribution. There are also open discussions where the media, political and international law experts can participate in the dialogue and meet Palestinian and Israeli delegates who are in the front of peace camps pushing for a political solution together.
The central question EPICON raises is simple but urgent: What role can, and should, Europe play?
Europe is the largest trading partner for both Israel and the Palestinian territories. Economic leverage alone could potentially shift diplomatic dynamics if deployed strategically.
I participated in the EPICON dialogue in Amsterdam in March, where both Israelis and Palestinians spoke with remarkable patience, respect and empathy, raising a haunting question: Who is truly fighting this war, and for whose benefit? Certainly not the ordinary citizens who must live with its consequences.
“We used to give our trust to Europe, not to the United States,” commented Palestinian politician Tahani Abu Daqqa. “We built that trust around human rights. We need solutions that prevent violence — whether it is a two-state solution, one state, or any system where citizens can live together in peace. Our community, our culture and our rights must be protected when Gaza is rebuilt.”
Israeli human rights activist Dan Sobovitz described the internal political fractures within Israel itself. “We are living in parallel universes. Many democratic institutions have been taken over by the government. Media independence is shrinking, and the voices of many Israelis are not heard. When international law collapses, the global order collapses, and eventually it affects everyone.”
Veteran Netherlands-based journalist Taghreed El Khodary from Gaza warned of the long-term consequences for Palestinian society. “After every war in the Middle East, Palestinians are left with new problems — militias, fragmentation, instability. Recognition of Palestine is extremely important right now. There is a real fear that we may disappear from this earth as a people.”
“We are having the same conversations again and again, and we are stuck,” commented Israeli peace activist Liel Maghen talking about the emotional exhaustion of decades of negotiations. “Europe once helped rebuild itself after the Second World War. Someone needs to show us today that another path to peace and security is possible.”
Palestinian feminist activist Samah Salaime emphasised the importance of civic education and representation. “My choice in life was to practice peace, not just talk about it. But it is becoming harder every day. Journalists report violence but rarely report the work of peacebuilding. If Europe wants to help; it must ensure Palestinian voices are present in every discussion.”
International pressure could still play a constructive role, said Israeli policy expert Shaqued Morag. “Europe is a major partner for Israel. Economic leverage exists. The question is whether the EU is willing to use it to support a political solution.”
Southasia’s role
At the end of the discussion, another crucial question emerged: What role can non-European countries play? Is neutrality still possible in a world where wars are fought not only with weapons but with economic sanctions, energy supply chains and geopolitical alliances?
History suggests that it is. During the Cold War, the Non-Aligned Movement offered an alternative diplomatic path. Countries that refused to align with either superpower sought to reduce global tensions through strategic neutrality.
One of the most prominent leaders of NAM was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, the world’s first female prime minister. She helped shape the movement after the 1961 Belgrade Summit and later hosted the historic 1976 Non-Aligned Summit in Colombo. Today, some observers see echoes of that diplomatic tradition returning.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently drew international attention after reportedly declining a United States request involving military aircraft access to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, reinforcing the country’s policy of neutrality in escalating regional tensions. The decision sparked renewed discussion among foreign policy analysts about whether smaller nations can again play a balancing role in global crises.
Could Southasian states rise once more to champion diplomatic neutrality?
The region’s governments have responded cautiously to the Middle East conflict to protect their economies, energy supplies, and millions of overseas migrant workers. India maintains a balanced diplomatic stance, preserving strategic defense ties with Israel while supporting a two-state solution to secure its energy interests. Meanwhile, Pakistan strongly advocates for the Palestinian cause at international forums and warns that further escalation could destabilize the region, and Bangladesh emphasizes humanitarian concerns, calling for multilateral diplomacy and civilian protection to mitigate global economic fallout.
If Europe begins to use its economic influence to push for de-escalation in the Middle East, countries across Asia and the Global South may also have a role to play. Joining dialogue initiatives like EPICON at this early stage could help build momentum for a different future, one in which nations respect international law, safeguard human rights, and remember the promise made in 1945: Never again.
Pavithra Perera Wijayasinghe Jayalathkodi Arachchige (WJA) is an international law expert, senior project consultant, and passionate human rights activist from Sri Lanka, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Lead image: Game of Chess. Image via Canva
This is a Sapan News syndicated feature available for republication with due credit https://www.sapannews.com.
Note on Southasia as one word: We use ‘Southasia’ as one word, “seeking to restore some of the historical unity of our common living space, without wishing any violence on the existing nation states” – Himal Southasian
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