European leaders increase pressure on Netanyahu and threaten retaliation

BrusselsThe intensification of bombings, the expansion of the occupation of the Gaza Strip, and Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid have finally provoked a somewhat more forceful response from some Western countries, a change that Tel Aviv has considered a position in favor of Hamas. In a joint statement, French President Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and Canada, Keir Starmer and Mark Carney, urge Israel to "halt the renewed military offensive and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid." And, should the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu continue to ignore them, they threaten to take "specific measures in retaliation." "We will not hesitate to take further measures, including measures against individuals," they warn in the statement.

In parallel, Western countries have sought to make another gesture to increase pressure on the Israeli government. EU member states brought the issue to discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council this Tuesday in Brussels. If it is necessary to review the partnership agreement that the community blog has with Israel, which has established a priority economic and political relationship between both parties since 2000. This has been a demand made for months by European partners considered more pro-Palestinian, such as Spain and Ireland. Josep Borrell proposed it at the last EU Council. which he presided over as head of European diplomacy, but has only begun to gain greater support in recent days.

In fact, the current head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, announced at the start of the meeting of EU foreign ministers that they would discuss the special relationship they have with Israel at the request of the Netherlands. And, according to several international media outlets, there would be a fourteenth of countries—including France—of the 27 EU countries that have supported the Dutch demand and want a revision of the association agreement to be studied.

Kallas herself, who until now has maintained a clearly more pro-Zionist position than Borrell, has also raised her tone against Netanyahu and criticized him for blocking humanitarian aid that "the EU has paid for." "Israel's decision to allow some aid to enter is welcome, but not enough. It's a drop in the ocean," said the community leader, who this time predicted a "very, very tough debate" on the Gaza war.

In the same vein, Macron, Starmer, and Carney, while always supporting Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism, assert that "this escalation is totally disproportionate." Netanyahu cries out against the "forced displacement of civilians" by some members of the Israeli government and insists on a two-state solution: "We are determined to recognize a Palestinian state."

Israel's reaction has not been long in coming, accusing Paris, London and Ottawa of offering Hamas an "immense prize" for the October 7, 2023, attack and "opening the door to more similar atrocities." Israel has once again ignored the international community's calls and made it clear that Gaza "will remain in a state of disrepair until all hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are in exile and Gaza is demilitarized." empty the Strip of Palestinians and turn it into a resort tourist.

In turn, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went a step further. He accused European leaders "of morally aligning themselves with the terrorist organization [Hamas]" and warned that Israel "will not bow to this moral hypocrisy, anti-Semitism, and bias." "The Israel Defense Forces are the most moral army in the world, and our soldiers are fighting a battle for our very existence," reads a statement from the Israeli government.

However, the Israeli government has not only received criticism from abroad, but also from the internal opposition. The leader of the main left-wing groups in the country, Yair Golan, has warned Netanyahu that if Israel "does not once again behave like a sensible country," it is heading toward "becoming a pariah state."