Germany and Italy leave EU sanctions against Israel up in the air

BrusselsThe approval of EU sanctions against Israel is not expected to be easy. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced last week the package of restrictions and pledged to approve a partial suspension of the EU's association agreement with Israel and the blacklisting of two of the Netanyahu government's "most radical" ministers from the EU blog. However, these are measures that require the approval of the Member States, and several countries have already shown reluctance, to the point that they could block the imposition of sanctions pushed by Brussels.

The most controversial restriction proposed by Brussels is the partial suspension of the EU's association agreement with Israel, although it is limited to the imposition of tariffs on Israeli products worth a total of €227 million per year. This measure requires the support of a qualified majority of Member States. Therefore, the opposition of two countries as large and influential as Germany and Italy could defeat it. Furthermore, the Czech Republic has already stated its opposition, and other states with very pro-Zionist positions, such as Hungary and Austria, have always opposed any pressure measures against Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

"We have no formed opinion on the [EU's] sanctions plans against Israel," said German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius. In fact, although Von der Leyen is German and belongs to the same party as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, her announcement caught her political party by surprise, and more than half of German Christian Democrat MEPs voted against her proposal. This is an unusual situation in Brussels, as it is difficult for Von der Leyen to move without the support of Berlin and other major capitals.

As for Italy, the position is similar. Giorgia Meloni's government has always been reluctant to sanction Netanyahu, and for the moment, its position has not changed either. "We could support some sanctions, but not others," said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. In fact, according to Italian media, Rome is against the suspension of the agreement, but is more open to accepting other gestures of diplomatic pressure against Tel Aviv, such as restrictions on Israeli ministers. However, this is a measure that must be unanimously approved by the member states, which greatly complicates its processing. Therefore, even if Italy, or even Germany, were to ultimately give its approval, it would have to be convinced and drawn towards the Yeah to even more pro-Zionist member states, such as the Czech Republic or Viktor Orbán's Hungary.

The most pro-Palestinian and most pro-Israeli leaders face off.

The day after Brussels proposed the sanctions package against Israel that divides the European Union states, leaders representing the two sides within the European bloc will meet in Madrid. On the one hand, Pedro Sánchez is one of the most forceful voices against Netanyahu, while Friedrich Merz is one of the leaders most accommodating to Tel Aviv. However, both governments have shifted toward more pro-Palestinian positions. Sánchez has already described Israel's actions as "genocide" and announced a comprehensive package of sanctions, while Merz has adopted a partial embargo on the arms supplied by Germany to Israel and has been increasingly critical of the offensive against Gaza.