Europe's Response to the Fence

Last week's International Court of Justice ruling on the separation barrier that Israel is building is legally meaningless - kangaroo justice from a kangaroo court. The only place where it could seem meaningful is as an additional weapon to attack Israel in the court of public opinion. The US response to the ruling has been that it is invalid and that the US would veto any resolutions stemming from this ruling in the UN Security Council. Europe's reactions, on the other hand, have been decidedly more mixed. While in the runup to the "Court" hearing on the matter Europe was opposed to the "Court" even considering the issue, after the ruling Europe seems to support it. This editorial of the Jerusalem Post suggests that the crisis emanating from this ruling is not one for Israel, but for Europe itself.

Europe will have to think carefully about how far it wants to travel down that road vis-a-vis the Jewish state. Is it ready to make good on its anti-fence instincts by voting for UN sanctions, as the ICJ ruling advises? Does Europe place a higher value on Palestinian property than on Jewish lives? The game here is clear. Like adolescents who rely upon parental restrictions they claim to abhor to set limits to behavior they know is irresponsible, Europe is relying upon an American veto to protect the international system from a decision it knows is wrong and should not be implemented.

Israel has made its choice to protect its citizens from terror. Soon Europe will have a choice, too. Whatever choice it makes will be usefully clarifying for the rest of us.