The Africa News Network

Only 80 years have passed since the end of the Second World War. Only 80 years. And we already seem to have forgotten how vital human rights and dignity are for civilization and social progress. So deep is this collective amnesia that even the prevention of genocide, the most abhorrent crime against humanity, no longer carries the urgency it once did. I’m not here to compare the dehumanization of millions under Nazism and fascism leading to the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity. Far from it. But I must say this: the world condemned the Cerebranita genocide and brought its perpetrators to justice. Why then, only three decades later, do some politicians tolerate or even defend Israel’s genocidal policy against Palestinians in Gaza?

The international community resoundingly condemned Hamas’s terrorist attack in October 2023. How come we have no such consensus when it comes to the people living in Gaza? How can it be that there are still politicians, including those in European Union member states, who tolerate that most people in Gaza have been displaced multiple times? That more than 90% of homes are damaged or destroyed? How can they accept acute shortages of food, water, fuel, medicine, and shelter? Or reports of Israel negotiating with South Sudan to transfer people from one war-torn land at risk of famine to another? And let’s not forget the fact that humanitarian workers and doctors themselves are starving while trying to help those in need.

How can they not be moved after the news hit the world that Gaza city and surrounding areas are now, ladies and gentlemen, officially under famine? Distinguished guests, these are not rhetorical questions. As human beings, we must ensure that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank never fade from the political spotlight for several reasons. Firstly, through our dealings with Gaza, we reveal who we are. Gaza has become a symbol of our attitude towards atrocities worldwide. If we cannot address Gaza, what legitimacy do we have to confront gross violations of human rights anywhere else? Secondly, our handling of Gaza reflects our understanding of humanity. When Europe advocates human rights as universal values, do we truly mean it, or are they merely a tool for dominating political discourse?

Thirdly, humanity is indivisible. We are rightly united in strongly condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We stand with the Ukrainian people and support the principle of territorial integrity. We cannot allow a country to seize another country’s territory just because it can. We cannot allow people to be killed merely for defending their country against an aggressor. In Ukraine, we defend international law and humanity. Values and norms are values and norms everywhere for everyone, including in Gaza.

Fourthly, Europe needs to show unity in defending humanity. The EU’s ultimate response to Israel’s actions in Gaza will show the world how our leaders see Europe’s future—whether democracy, unity, diversity, and trust in international law remain at the center of European integration. That being said, I find little cause for optimism. Attacks on democracy and fundamental freedoms are visible basically everywhere. Many of us grew up with leaders criticizing autocracies during the Cold War. Several of those regimes endure, and their practices are spreading regrettably even in Europe. Freedom of thought, academic freedom, and investigative journalism once shaped democratic discourse. Not anymore. And this is wrong; this is historically wrong.

Without freedom of thought, there can be no progress. Attempts to restrict free speech are always met with resistance. Those who suppress freedom of thought and critical thinking always end up on the scrap heap of history. With this in mind, I would like to express my support for the initiative to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Franchesca Albanz, the UN Special Rapporteur on the West Bank and Gaza, and to the doctors caring for the people of Gaza. They deserve recognition for risking their lives to restore peace and uphold humanity. They embody what multilateralism for human rights also means—preventing individual politicians from acting with impunity.

Dear friends, we cannot stand by and watch history unfold without us. We must not let cold pragmatism drain the soul from Europe. Now is the time to speak truth—bold, unwavering truth—to power to bring the united in diversity back to the very heart of the European dream. In an enlarged European Union, human rights and human dignity flourish in a world that is stable and just. But it is in times of crisis and uncertainty that the true test begins: the test of our courage, conviction, and willingness to stand firm and defend our values. Now is the time to raise our voices, not in whispers of compromise, but in a thunder of determination.

Let us reject those who bend their values to the winds of profit and personal gain. Let us fight for a Europe that speaks out loudly through every multilateral form against injustice and exclusion, against every crime against humanity, and for every silenced voice. Ladies and gentlemen, as leaders, we shape the future—a path towards democracy, prosperity, and peace, or a spiral into fear, crisis, and war. This is our moment to choose the side of history we will stand on. Billions, ladies and gentlemen, billions, depend on our choice. We Slovenians believe in justice, and we have no doubt. We stand firmly and proudly on the side of humanity. Thank you.