In Europe, long a key source of support for Israel, the center of political gravity is shifting away from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Spain, Ireland and Norway recognized Palestinian statehood on Wednesday, despite strong opposition from Israel and the United States. And most European governments this week expressed clear support for the International Criminal Court after the court requested arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister, defense minister, and Hamas leaders.
Israel still has loyal allies in the European Union, such as Hungary and the Czech Republic, and major powers such as Germany have signaled a willingness to change their positions despite growing displeasure with Israel’s actions. Not yet. Widening rifts within Europe mean that the consensus-oriented Union is unlikely to change its position any time soon.
But European countries face growing international and domestic pressure to take a firmer stance on the Palestinian territories, and in particular on Israel’s response to the devastating war in Gaza.
Among European Union member states, Sweden has been alone in recognizing a Palestinian state for a decade. Europe has long supported the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state – a “two-state solution” that the Israeli government adamantly opposes – and is dissatisfied with Israel’s treatment of the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. However, most countries are reluctant to go any further. .
Rather, the European Union had been drawing closer to Israel before the war, including through important financial and political partnerships in the fields of trade and science.
War and the way it develops is changing the situation. The sympathetic view that underpinned support for Israel in Europe after the October 7 attacks faded as the war continued and the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsened, with Israel now seen by many as the aggressor rather than the victim. It is becoming weaker because it is seen as such.
EU members Ireland and Spain, as well as Norway, which is closely aligned with the bloc, took the next step on Wednesday in recognizing a Palestinian state. It was a harsh rebuke of Israel, even if it had little practical effect and wasn’t all that surprising. Three European countries have been vocal in their criticism of Israel and support for the Palestinian cause, while condemning Hamas and the brutal attack it carried out against Israel on October 7th.
If more neighboring countries follow Palestine’s lead, the European Union could become a major counterweight to the US position that a Palestinian state should only come through a negotiated settlement with Israel. . This would further deepen the rift between Europe and Israel.
There are warnings and concerns from Europe and other parts of the world about Israel’s deadly and destructive operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Particular attention is currently being focused on Belgium, a particularly pro-Palestinian EU member state, which has increasingly criticized Israel for its handling of the war.
“We’re certainly seeing a growing number of voices moving in the other direction, including some that have traditionally supported Israel,” Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, said at a press conference. Stated. “We are concerned because we do not believe it will contribute to Israel’s long-term security or vitality.”
The European Union (EU) has maintained its trade and other agreements with Israel despite growing calls to sever or significantly restrict them.
Most of the EU27 have maintained roughly similar positions on the Israel-Hamas war since October 7, and have undergone similar changes.
They began with disgust over the Hamas-led attack that killed an estimated 1,200 people and took more than 240 hostages, supported Israel’s right to self-defense, and expressed continued hope for a two-state solution. They called for restraint against Israel’s shelling, blockade and invasion of Gaza. Since then, Israel has killed around 35,000 people, including fighters and civilians, forced most Gaza residents from their homes, caused shortages of food and medicine, and destroyed many buildings in the territory. This was accompanied by overt and increasingly sharp criticism of the operation.
In supporting Israel, countries like Hungary and the Czech Republic could play a decisive role in determining what the European Union can and cannot do, especially with regard to the Middle East. Austria has also maintained close ties with Israel, even as other countries criticize it.
Foreign policy is a national prerogative and is closely guarded by EU member states, which have ceded many other powers to the EU. Since the group’s positions on international issues can only be achieved through unanimous agreement, it is unlikely that the group will take a clear position on Israel and Palestine anytime soon.
When prosecutors at the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, most European countries and the EU itself did not take a public position on the move. However, he said he would respect the agreement. Independence of courts.
But Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on social media that “calling for the arrest of representatives of democratically elected governments and leaders of Islamist terrorist organizations is appalling and completely unacceptable.” Ta.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called it “absurd and shameful.”
However, Belgian Foreign Minister Haja Rachbib said: “Crimes committed in Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of the perpetrators.”
“France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence and the fight against impunity in all circumstances,” the region’s second-largest country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
For France, recognizing a Palestinian state is “not taboo” but the time is not yet right, France’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, after several European countries took formal steps. “This decision should be helpful,” Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjournet said in a statement.
France has so far refrained from taking independent action, but last month it voted in favour of a UN Security Council resolution recognising Palestine as a full member state of the UN. Britain, which is no longer a member of the European Union but still wields influence, abstained in the vote.
The United States, France, and the United Kingdom are all permanent members of the Security Council and have the power to veto any action there. Only the United States has used that power, indicating a widening rift with Europe.
A change in Germany’s stance will play an important role in determining the direction of EU-Israel relations. Germany is the EU’s largest member state and has long expressed its own commitment to Israel as a result of its Nazi history and Holocaust.
Berlin started as the EU’s pro-Israel side shortly after October 7, but has now more openly criticized Israel’s way of waging the war and called for an immediate ceasefire against Israel and the rebels. America.
At a press conference in Berlin, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Katherine Deschauer gave no indication of any change in her country’s position when asked about Spain, Ireland and Norway’s recognition of Palestine.
“An independent Palestinian state remains a firm goal of German foreign policy,” she said. This is an urgent matter, she added, but it must be done at the end of a “dialogue process”.
Aurelian Breeden Contribute to a report from Paris, Christopher F. Schuetzee From Berlin.
