The EU takes action by following up on the UN report on the Gaza war. (Note that 'follow-up' is often neglected, but is actually essential to progress and a key time to continue producing efforts.)
The European Parliament has officially passed a resolution backing the findings of the Goldstone Report and demanding that Israel open Gaza war crimes investigations. According to The Washington Post, the parliament also called on Israel to immediately open border crossings with the Gaza Strip, saying its blockade is worsening the humanitarian crisis there.
The parliamentary move, which will give the EU an "unprecedented role" in evaluating the progress of Israel's war crimes probe, was strongly criticized by Israel. "We find this resolution flawed and counterproductive", said Yoel Mester, spokesman for Israel's mission to the EU.
The move will likely "chill" Israeli-European relations.
This is significant progress/a large step forward from the EU's official response to the Goldstone Report when it was first presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2009. On behalf of the EU, the representative of Sweden merely stated "the report will be seriously considered". Read more on the Goldstone Report here.
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