Europe takes action against Israel amid escalating Gaza crisis

European countries have decided to take action against Israel, which has resolved to continue its occupation and blockade of Gaza.

In Gaza, renewed bombardments on March 18 resulted in at least 3,300 deaths. Since October 7, 2023, the total number of fatalities in the Gaza Strip is estimated to be approximately 53,500, with over 28,000 women and girls among them, according to UN data.

The Israeli government has announced it will further intensify its attacks. The obstruction of public access to aid supplies also effectively continues. Although Israel officially stated it would permit aid convoys, on Monday, it limited the number of convoys to five.

According to UN data, 500 convoys reached the Gaza Strip daily before the war began.

On Tuesday, UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that up to 14,000 babies and young children could die within 48 hours if aid shipments were not increased. Following this warning, Israel announced on Tuesday that it could increase the number of permitted shipments to 100.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Washington had warned that “support for Israel would not be possible” if “images of mass starvation” were leaked to the public. Netanyahu remarked, “Therefore, we must somehow solve the problem.”

Steps toward recognizing the State of Palestine may accelerate

Over the past year, several EU member states have begun to see initial results in response to Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the war crimes committed there. Thus, on May 28, 2024, Ireland, Spain, and non-EU member Norway officially recognized Palestine as a state; on June 4, 2024, Slovenia followed suit.

Previously, eight EU countries had taken this step: Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia (then united as Czechoslovakia) in 1988, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, and Cyprus. Sweden joined them in 2014. Malta recognized the right of Palestinians to a state in 1988 but did not recognize the state itself.

In Greece, the parliament requested the government to recognize Palestine as a state at the end of 2015, but the government did not fulfill this request.

In April, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would declare a decision on recognition at a conference in New York in early June but stipulated that several Arab states must recognize Israel in return.

In total, 147 UN member states and the Vatican recognize the State of Palestine. Germany is not among these countries and has not reversed its stance on the matter.

Europe’s previous anti-Israel decisions

European countries had previously decided to review military and political cooperation with Israel, but in practice, these decisions were largely ineffective.

For example, a court in the Netherlands prohibited the delivery of US F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel in February 2024. Outside the EU, the United Kingdom imposed some restrictions on arms shipments to Israel in September 2024, although export licenses increased in the subsequent three months.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp stated on May 7 that his government had called on the EU to “review the Association Agreement with Israel” because the Israeli government was no longer fulfilling its obligation to “protect fundamental human rights in external relations” as stipulated in Article 2 of the agreement.

On Monday, France and the United Kingdom, along with Canada, issued a joint statement to increase pressure, openly criticizing Israel’s war policy and announcing “additional measures, including targeted sanctions.”

London also suspended ongoing free trade negotiations with Israel yesterday (May 20).

London leads international condemnation of Israel

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated on Tuesday that the UK decided to freeze new trade agreement talks with Israel in response to the “appalling” situation caused by the attacks in Gaza.

International criticism escalated on Tuesday, with London summoning the Israeli ambassador over the escalating tensions in Gaza, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanding Israel “massively increase” aid to the region.

Starmer stated in the British parliament, “The renewed bombardment of innocent children is absolutely unacceptable. Israel’s announcement that it will allow ‘basic’ quantities of food into Gaza—I say basic quantities—is completely and utterly insufficient.”

Lammy also accused the Netanyahu government of “planning to drive Gazans from their homes into a southern corner and provide them with only a fraction of the aid they need.”

The Minister also sharply criticized Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s ultranationalist finance minister, who said that Israel was “cleansing” Gaza and “destroying everything that remains” in the region.

Lammy stated, “We must name this: This extremism is dangerous, abhorrent, monstrous, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

Britain also imposed sanctions on three Israeli settlers, two illegal settler outposts, and two organizations supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the region.

Some in Europe also support Israel and Netanyahu

On the other hand, not all European countries are willing to take action against Israel’s occupation of Gaza.

Berlin, for example, is refraining from all measures against Israel. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated last week that Prime Minister Netanyahu, for whom an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, “should in principle be able to travel to Germany.”

Merz stated that “information would be provided in a timely manner” to the public on “how this would be possible, if planned.”

Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was the only country to accept Netanyahu despite the arrest warrant. During the visit, Orbán announced that his country would withdraw from the ICC.

The Hungarian parliament officially approved this step yesterday, Tuesday.

Europe divided on relations with Israel

At the EU foreign ministers’ meeting held yesterday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul opposed reviewing the association agreement signed by the EU with Israel, at the request of the Netherlands, but could not get his view accepted.

Nine member states—Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden—publicly announced their support for the Dutch proposal before Tuesday’s foreign ministers’ meeting.

According to diplomatic sources who spoke to Euronews, Denmark, Estonia, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia also supported the review conducted on Tuesday. Austria, a loyal supporter of Israel, did not raise any objections.

According to sources, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Lithuania opposed it, while Latvia remained “neutral.”

A proposal to increase pressure on Israel by imposing new sanctions on Israeli settlers responsible for violence in the West Bank was supported by 26 out of 27 member states but vetoed by Hungary.

According to EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas, the EU Commission will now begin examining whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations, particularly under the agreement. Otherwise, the agreement will be suspended, which would at least make trade between the two parties more expensive.

However, the review could take a very long time. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether EU member states will approve the suspension of the agreement.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard went further, stating that she would “push for EU sanctions to be imposed against individual Israeli ministers.”

On the other hand, an EU diplomat who spoke to the Financial Times stated that regardless of the outcome of the bloc’s review of the trade agreement with Israel, “The fact that the vast majority of member states have demanded this sends a strong message to the Israeli government.”

Israel’s reaction to Britain and the EU

Israel responded to Kaja Kallas’s statement late on Tuesday.

Oren Marmorstein, spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement on the social media platform X, announcing that they rejected the justification for the EU’s decision to review its relations with Israel.

Marmorstein argued that Israel was in a defensive position in a war “imposed by Hamas.”

The spokesperson also reminded the EU that the Israeli government had accepted numerous US ceasefire and hostage exchange proposals that Hamas had rejected.

Marmorstein stated, “Ignoring these facts and criticizing Israel stiffens Hamas’s stance and encourages Hamas to take up arms. Hamas’s recent praise for such criticisms is a clear indication of this and prolongs the war.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson criticized the EU for ignoring the recent steps taken by the US and Israel to ensure aid flow in the region, while praising other countries that “accepted this fact” and continued to support Israel.

Marmorstein also stated that Israel is open to discussions with EU representatives and member states to resolve the issue, concluding his statement by calling on Brussels to pressure “Hamas, which is the source of the real problem.”

Marmorstein also sharply criticized Britain, stating, “If the British government risks harming the British economy due to its anti-Israel obsessions and internal political calculations, that is its right. External pressure will not deter Israel from defending its existence and security against its enemies who seek to destroy it. The British Mandate ended exactly 77 years ago. External pressure will not deter Israel from its struggle to defend its existence and security against its enemies who seek to destroy it.”