The European Parliament supports Von der Leyen's announcement to sanction Israel.

BrusselsThe European Parliament supports Ursula von der Leyen's intention to propose sanctions against Israel. The European Parliament passed a non-binding declaration by 305 votes to 151, with 122 abstentions, advocating a partial suspension of the European Union's association agreement with Israel, halting some EU aid to Tel Aviv, and placing some Israeli ministers on the European Commission's blacklist.

The European People's Party (EPP) had not planned to support this resolution, which had been spearheaded by the progressive forces in the European Parliament. However, Wednesday's speech by Von der Leyen, who is also a member of the conservative party, brought PP MEPs back to the negotiating table to try to secure a position that aligns with the European Commission President's defense. In fact, the EU leader's announcement to sanction Benjamin Netanyahu's government completely took some delegations of the conservative parliamentary group, such as Germany, by surprise.

In fact, more than half of the German Christian Democrat delegation broke the voting discipline of the European PP and voted against the resolution. That is, against Ursula von der Leyen's proposals. This detail confirms that the war in Gaza not only creates a great division between political families, but also between countries.

Progressive parties in general are much more sensitive than conservatives to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, and the Christian Democrats maintain more pro-Israeli positions. However, there are numerous exceptions. For example, the German and Austrian left, for historical reasons, strongly defend Israel's right to self-defense, while there is a majority consensus in countries such as Spain, Belgium, Ireland, and Slovenia to condemn the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

In any case, the European PP has managed to remove from the text the most direct accusations against Israel, which said it was committing genocide in Gaza, as defended by the progressive forces in the European Parliament. Thus, the declaration only mentions the word genocide when setting out the facts relating to the case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice on the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide against Gaza.

It should be remembered, however, that this is symbolic support for von der Leyen and is by no means a binding resolution. In fact, any sanctions against Israel must be approved by the member states, which remain divided. Until now, the historically more pro-Zionist states, such as Germany, have vetoed any type of restriction on Netanyahu's government, although they have also recently shown signs of fatigue with Tel Aviv, and the EU as a whole is shifting toward more pro-Palestinian positions.

The complicated path to sanctioning Netanyahu

Be that as it may, the European Union's process to sanction the Netanyahu government has barely begun, and it is not expected to be a bed of roses. European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill stated in a press conference this Thursday that the EU executive plans to propose the partial suspension of the EU association agreement with Israel and restrictions on Israeli ministers and violent settlers in the West Bank in the coming days. However, unanimity among the member states is required for these to be processed.

So far, state governments have vetoed any type of sanctions, and the only initiative they approved was the revision of the EU association agreement with Israel. However, nothing came of it, and diplomatic sources from several member states stated that they had merely expressed their support for pressuring Tel Aviv. Furthermore, this measure required a qualified majority, not unanimity, as is the case with a partial suspension of the pact or the application of any type of sanction to a third country. The role of Germany, the largest and most influential country in the European Union, will be key, as will the extent to which it can sway other Member States that hold a similar position on the Gaza war toward a yes or no vote.