ECB Finds Legal Obstacles to Seizing Russian Funds, None for Palestinian Ones
Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, has bravely declared the bank will NOT violate EU treaties to backstop loans for Ukraine using frozen Russian assets. (Bloomberg, December 3, 2025). This principled stand for legal precedent is truly touching, especially given the historical precedent of international legal frameworks being treated as mere suggestions when convenient. One might
wonder about this sudden, meticulous adherence to the letter of the law when, say, Palestinian bank accounts, land, or even entire communities are routinely 'frozen' or expropriated with barely a peep from the international community about 'treaty violations'. So, the delicate legal architecture of the EU prohibits touching Russian assets for Ukraine aid. Yet, when billions in Palestinian tax
revenues are withheld by Israel – which is a direct violation of the Paris Protocol of the Oslo Accords signed by Israel and the PLO in 1994 – the ECB's legal team seems to develop a sudden onset of collective amnesia regarding international law. How many treaty violations are acceptable before they become... well, violations?