Von der Leyen raises the tone against Israel and proposes sanctions for the first time.

Brussels / StrasbourgInternal pressure on Brussels to finally impose sanctions on Benjamin Netanyahu's government has been growing, to the point of being unsustainable for the President of the European Commission. Years after the Israeli offensive against Gaza, Ursula von der Leyen—one of the most pro-Israel leaders in the EU—finally took the step and announced this Tuesday in the European Parliament that she will propose a series of sanctions against Tel Aviv. She announced the news during her State of the Union address, which marks the start of the political year in the European institutions, and the package of restrictions will include a "partial suspension" of the EU Association Agreement with Israel, and the blacklisting of Israel's "most radical" ministers and violent settlers from the West Bank. "What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable," the President of the European Commission remarked, taking a harsher tone than usual against the Israeli executive.

This is the first time that von der Leyen has put sanctions of this magnitude on the table against Netanyahu. Until now, the EU has only frozen a portion of the European Horizon funds for scientific research and innovation that benefit Israel. However, Brussels and the Member States had consistently opposed suspending the EU's Association Agreement with Tel Aviv, which establishes a priority framework for trade and political dialogue in Israel. The European bloc is Israel's largest trading partner and supplies around 30% of the weapons it imports, giving Brussels significant leverage against Netanyahu by applying these types of restrictions. In any case, von der Leyen has not mentioned any kind of arms embargo on the Israeli army, which has already killed more than 65,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. President von der Leyen's announcement, in protest against the situation in Gaza, is an essential step for the EU to apply sanctions against Israel, but it is not the final one. It is a measure that requires the approval of the Member States, which remain divided over the Gaza war. "I am aware that it will be difficult to gain a majority," admitted the EU leader. One of the countries that has historically opposed any sanctions against Netanyahu is her own, Germany. But even Berlin has changed its tone minimally in recent weeks.

These days, in the corridors of Strasbourg, senior EU officials have admitted that official European discourse has been conditioned all along to adapt to the sensibilities of its partners. That's why Von der Leyen's announcement this Wednesday, a significant step, has taken almost everyone by surprise.

"Europe must fight"

The German conservative, dressed in military green, also sent a clear message to Europeans regarding the war in Ukraine and the danger posed by Vladimir Putin's regime's expansionism via the community blog. "Europe is fighting. [...] Europe must fight," she warned. Von der Leyen's forceful tone regarding the Russian invasion has not changed, despite Europe knowing it is far from the table where Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have met until now to decide the future of the war. The image of Putin being received on a red carpet by Trump in Alaska was "hard to swallow," the German admitted. It was also hard to swallow, although Von der Leyen did not say so. the photograph with the pulsators up that she and several European officials made their way to Scotland with the Republican president after kneeling to Washington's threats and trade demands.

Three and a half years after the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine remains an existential war for Europe. Not only because the continent's security depends, in large part, on how this conflict ends, but also because Putin's offensive—and the fear of similar actions in the future—have forced a complete rethinking of many of the foundations that sustained Europe before 2022. And here comes the magic word: strategic autonomy. The EU continues to prioritize shedding, as far as possible, external dependencies and committing to an increasingly independent bloc, including in a vital element right now: defense and security. Von der Leyen referred to this in her speech. But Von der Leyen does not dare to disassociate that future from NATO, despite the organization being controlled by the completely unpredictable United States.

Regarding the future of Ukraine, the Commission President stressed that she does not trust Putin to negotiate peace. She referred to the increasingly numerous and lethal attacks across Ukraine. "Putin's message is clear, and our response must be as well," insisted von der Leyen, who called for "intensified pressure" to force Russia to the negotiating table. This implies, she said, "more sanctions" and continued firm support in Ukraine. For the first time, the Trump administration and von der Leyen's team have been negotiating for several days the application of restrictions against Putin.

Response in support of Poland

And Putin has made von der Leyen's advisors overwork and make last-minute changes to their prepared speech. This morning, Poland has had to shoot down several Russian drones which, according to Warsaw, had entered its airspace. The Commission President denounced Moscow's action, which she described as "reckless and unprecedented," and expressed "full solidarity" with the Polish government.

Von der Leyen has promised to improve surveillance of Europe's borders with Russia and build "an anti-drone wall." This is a demand that Eastern European countries have long been urging in Brussels. Tonight's incidents could precipitate her decision. "Europe will defend every inch of its territory," the President of the European Commission insisted.

This is not the only epic message that resonated through the particularly packed parliamentary chamber: "The key question we must ask ourselves today is very simple: Does Europe have the courage to continue this fight? Do we have the necessary unity and sense of urgency? Or do we prefer to fight among ourselves, paralyzed by our divisions?" The applause in the chamber, as throughout most of the speech, was only partial. European unity has, for years, been a necessary illusion.