End Complicity Now: A Defining Moment for International Law, Democracy, and Peace

In light of the extreme fragility of the current ceasefire between Iran and the United States, and the persistent impunity of the United States and Israel in carrying out military attacks, the NOVACT Institute for Nonviolence expresses deep concern over the accelerating erosion of international law and considers this a decisive moment for Europe to put an end to its complicity with the graves crimes being commited.

The collapse of negotiations is not merely a diplomatic setback; it reflects a deeper systemic failure and exposes the volatility of the current moment. It strips away any illusion of stability and makes it imperative for the European Union to end its complicity with war—and with those perpetrating it—before the window for diplomacy closes entirely.

What we are witnessing is not an isolated crisis, but a broader shift in the global order. We are at a crossroads shaped by a polywar marked by rearmament policies, authoritarian drift, and interconnected conflicts. Across contexts, authoritarian leaders promise order and security while restricting rights, constructing enemies, and weakening democratic institutions. The spiral of war—from US–Israel military attacks against Iran and Lebanon to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine—signals a profound crisis in the international system. War is once again being normalized as a tool of politics, producing only death, oppression and insecurity.

A Humanitarian Crisis of Alarming Scale

The US–Israel military aggression against Iran, carried out during ongoing nuclear negotiations, marks—once again—a dangerous precedent. This is the second time in less than a year that Iran has been attacked in the midst of diplomatic talks, undermining the very foundations of good-faith negotiations and peaceful conflict resolution as enshrined in the UN Charter. The strikes have resulted in the killing of political figures and around 2,000 people, including more than 160 schoolgirls. Far from achieving regime change, these actions have instead fueled regional escalation, including Iranian attacks on US bases, disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and strikes against critical civilian infrastructure, including desalination facilities, with far-reaching consequences for global energy security, inflation, and food systems.

This escalation must be understood within a broader context of systemic violence and repression. The people of Iran have endured decades of severe human rights violations at the hands of their own government. Yet, as repeatedly underscored by international human rights experts, the protection of civilians and the prohibition of unlawful force are not contingent principles. International law cannot be selectively applied or instrumentalized. Violations by one actor do not justify violations by another. In this context, certain actions carried out by Iran—including attacks against civilian targets, commercial vessels, and indispensable infrastructure such as water desalination facilities—may amount to serious breaches of international humanitarian law and, in some cases, war crimes. Upholding the universality of international law is essential to prevent the normalization of a cycle of impunity that places civilian lives at ever greater risk.

In Lebanon, Israeli military operations have forced over a million people to flee their homes. Since March, more than 1,888 people have been killed, including 130 children, 102 women, and 57 medical workers. On April 8 alone, over 300 people were killed and more than 1,150 injured following intense strikes on densely populated areas, including Beirut. At the same time, Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip and West Bank continues, with populations facing systematic violence, destruction of infrastructure, and extreme vulnerability.

NOVACT teams remains in close contact with civil society organizations across Iraq, Syria,Palestine, and Lebanon. What we are hearing from our regional partners is deeply alarming: a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, marked by widespread destruction, displacement and the collapse of essential services. At the same time, our partners are not only calling for increased humanitarian support—they are demanding decisive political action. They are clear: mitigating suffering is not enough. There must be an end to the complicity that enables war crimes and violations of international law. This is a critical moment to act and to break with those dynamics once and for all.

Europe: From Complicity to Accountability

The European Union can no longer hide behind expressions of ‘deep concern.’ As Israel’s largest trading partner and a key actor in the global arms trade, Europe is not a bystander but an active enabler—through its economic ties and its role in supplying and purchasing arms from powers currently perpetrating war crimes across the Middle East. As NOVACT Director Luca Gervasoni Vila warns: “For decades, leaders responsible for war crimes sought to deny responsibility, claiming ignorance or presenting violations as unintended mistakes. What has changed today is far more alarming: authoritarian governments are no longer attempting to justify their actions within legal frameworks—they are increasingly dismissing, mocking, or openly defying the rules designed to protect civilians. Europe must take now a fundamental choice: either international law remains a binding and enforceable framework, or it is reduced to an empty reference overridden by power politics. Allowing this erosion to continue would mean accepting the collapse of civilian protection as a universal principle. It is time now to end complicity.”

The fragility of the current negotiations proves that “waiting and seeing” is a risk we cannot afford. We call on the European Union to:

• Publicly condemn all violations of international law, regardless of the perpetrator, and demand the immediate cessation of all ongoing military operations, ending any direct or indirect involvement in conflicts that violate international law.
• Suspend the EU–Israel Association Agreement immediately. Trade relations cannot continue while the most serious crimes under international law—genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and acts of aggression—are being committed with impunity.
• Impose a comprehensive arms embargo on all states responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law, with immediate priority on Israel. While NOVACT maintains a broader commitment to disarmament and demilitarization, the ongoing genocide in Palestine makes it imperative to halt all arms transfers to Israel without delay.
• End Europe’s role in the global arms economy that fuels conflict, including the export, import, and facilitation of weapons flows to actors involved in current escalations across the Middle East.
• Actively support regional de-escalation through political and diplomatic means, prioritizing ceasefire mechanisms, good-faith negotiations, and multilateral conflict-prevention frameworks.
• Ensure the full protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including essential services such as water, health, and energy systems, in line with international humanitarian law.
• Support inclusive and rights-based political processes, guaranteeing the meaningful participation of civil society, women peacebuilders, and human rights defenders across the region.
• Reduce Europe’s structural dependence on militarized and fossil-fuel-driven systems, which sustain and incentivize conflict, and instead invest in cooperative, sustainable, and peace-oriented security models.

Democracy can only survive when people participate, organize, and build alternatives. Defending international law and protecting the most vulnerable is not a political choice—it is a legal and moral obligation.

Europe must now make a clear choice: to continue enabling war and impunity, or to uphold the principles it claims to defend. The era of complicity must end.

The time to act is now.