Afrasianet - The Guardian newspaper published a report by its correspondent at the European Union's Brussels headquarters, Jennifer Rankin, in which she said that the European institution appeared "weak and miserable" and questioned why Europe was not using its influence against Israel and its actions in Lebanon and Gaza, and against settler violence in the West Bank. The answer to that question stemmed from divisions within the EU.
The humanitarian cost of Israeli attacks on Lebanon was clear when Irish MEP Barry Andrews visited Beirut last month. Andrews met people who had fled Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon.
The MP received information about conditions in temporary shelters, which are schools, which were worse than they were during the latest Israeli incursion in 2024. "There are dirty mattresses and blankets and people are getting infections and rashes," he said, referring to the image of misery exacerbated by sharp cuts in the European aid budget.
Andrews, who chairs the European Parliament's development committee, visited Lebanon two weeks after Hezbollah went to war with Iran in response to Israel's assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
After returning from Lebanon, he was one of the first European lawmakers to reimpose sanctions against Israel.
The EU must respond to Israel's attacks against Lebanon, settler violence in the West Bank, attacks against health workers in Gaza, and the Palestinian prisoner execution law passed by the Knesset this week.
More than a month after the war against Iran, the European Union, one of Israel's closest allies and most important economic partners, has issued only statements in an attempt to influence the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Critics say the EU can, and should, use its economic and diplomatic influence.
"When the EU takes a principled position on these issues, the Israelis listen to it," Andrews said.
He added that the EU could exert economic pressure through the Association Agreement with Israel, a trade and cooperation agreement that supports a trade relationship worth 68 billion euros (£59 billion) and promotes cooperation in areas including energy and scientific research.
Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorf, the EU representative in the Palestinian territories until 2023, believes that the EU should suspend this agreement with Israel, stop all forms of military support and stop trade with illegal settlements.
It is feared that without action to defend international law in Gaza and the West Bank, "the reputation of the European Union will be severely damaged." "The usual words of concern and condemnation are not enough, they are useless unless they are followed by effective measures to hold Israel accountable," he said.
Andrews described the EU's response to the war on Iran and the Israeli attacks on Lebanon as "weak and pathetic".
"This shows that Israel has more than once been given the green light to commit countless war crimes."
The European Commission condemned the Israeli Knesset's vote on the death penalty to be applied to Palestinians rather than Jewish extremists, calling it "deeply concerning" and a "clear step backwards."
The European Commission, the European human rights body, called the vote "an outdated legal paradox that does not conform to contemporary human rights standards."
Western leaders have warned Israel against launching a ground offensive on Lebanon, while condemning Hezbollah's attacks on Israel. Over the past four weeks, more than 1,240 people have been killed in Lebanon, including at least 124 children, while more than 1.1 million people have been forced to flee their villages and towns. Oblivious to the headlines, at least 673 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire in October last year, bringing the death toll in the stricken enclave to 72,260.
The European Union's reluctance to take action against Israel is not new. Last September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed unprecedented sanctions on Israel, citing the "artificial famine" in Gaza and a "clear attempt to undermine the two-state solution" through settlement plans in the West Bank. Von der Leyen, a conservative German politician, has previously been accused of defending Israel unreservedly.
But in her remarks, she was responding to a clear public position on the atrocities unfolding in Gaza, where Israel is accused of genocide, and a large majority of EU member states calling for a review of the Association Agreement.
But the sanctions did not have the support of a majority in the EU cabinet, and the momentum faded when Trump announced his plan for a Gaza ceasefire in October.
Despite EU concerns about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the ongoing violence in the West Bank, which Israel accuses of fueling, the EU is reluctant to take clear positions. A senior European diplomat said in mid-March, describing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank as "deeply concerning" and that "we may reach a point where we need to increase pressure on Israel again."
Diplomats noted that the EU's initial response to the war was cautious, in part because Israel and the United States were targeting Iran.
Another European diplomat, who supported the 2025 review of the association agreement, stressed the importance of maintaining contact with Israeli society, citing an open letter from 600 Israeli security officials calling for an end to the war in Gaza last August, a call published as Israel was considering escalating the war on the devastated enclave. These are not peacemakers, but members of the Israeli security establishment, deeply concerned about their government's policies. The EU has to deal with this in one way or another.
But the main problem is the traditional EU split from Israel. Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia, for example, have been staunch defenders of the Palestinian cause, while Germany and Austria, for historical reasons, have been strongly reluctant to criticize Israel. Complicating matters further, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an ideological ally of Netanyahu, has played a crucial role in vetoing controversial measures, such as sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank. A UNHCR spokesman confirmed this week that diplomatic contact with Israel is ongoing, "and this is what we do with our usual partners when we disagree on views."
Kuhn von Burgsdorf, a former EU envoy, calls for a more assertive approach: "How can this serve Europe when it is seen as an ally of a moody, unreliable, and seemingly paranoid U.S. president. Or an Israeli prime minister who is a torch of wars and a supporter of territorial annexation? It cannot be in Europe's interest, because it comes at the expense of relations with other parts of the world."
