EU leaders are striving to influence developments in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, frustrated that the European Union was largely absent from the US-negotiated pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
Meeting in Brussels on Thursday, where discussions were otherwise dominated by the conflict involving Ukraine and Russia, leaders examined the fragile cessation of fire in Gaza and signalled readiness to help stabilise the territory. The EU remains the primary donor of assistance to Palestinians and Israel’s largest commercial partner.
“It is important that Europe not only watches but plays an active role,” said Luxembourg’s prime minister Luc Frieden upon his arrival at the summit. “Gaza is not over; peace is not yet permanent,” he said, reports UNB/AP.
Deep divisions over the Gaza war have strained internal cohesion among the 27 member states and plunged EU-Israel relations to unprecedented lows.
In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined proposals for sanctions and a limited suspension of trade with Israel, aiming to increase pressure for a political solution in Gaza. That initiative cooled after US President Donald Trump facilitated a ceasefire agreement, and several governments argued the punitive measures should be withdrawn.
However, leaders from countries such as Ireland and the Netherlands contend that, with violence still occurring in Gaza and the West Bank, the prospect of sanctioning Israeli ministers and settlement actors — along with restricting parts of the trade agreement — should be maintained as leverage to restrain Israeli military actions.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that “Europe has essentially become irrelevant and displayed enormous weakness.”
The truce was completed without any visible European role, prompting EU leaders to urgently push for a place in the diplomatic process now shaping Gaza’s future.
Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas has said the bloc should not be confined to financial contributions for security and reconstruction in Gaza but must hold a more direct stake.
The Palestinian Authority, responsible for areas of the West Bank, has long benefited from EU financial and institutional assistance.
Following the summit, leaders committed to delivering humanitarian supplies to Gaza — possibly through a sea corridor from Cyprus — and indicated that an EU-supported policing initiative currently active in the West Bank could be expanded to Gaza as part of the stabilisation measures contained in the 20-point ceasefire plan.
Dubravka Šuica, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, said the EU has requested a seat on the plan’s “Board of Peace,” which is designed to oversee the transition.
Two member states, Denmark and Germany, are already involved in the new U.S.-led mission that will monitor and carry out ceasefire obligations. Their flags are now displayed at the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel.
The European Border Assistance Mission in Rafah, operating since 2005 on Gaza’s frontier with Egypt, deployed 20 border security specialists from Italy, Spain and France at the beginning of the year. During a February-March pause in fighting, it facilitated the evacuation of 4,176 people, including 1,683 needing medical attention, before suspending work when violence returned.
Beyond the EU institutions, individual European governments have independently tightened pressure on Israel as demonstrations spread across major cities from Barcelona to Oslo. A number of capitals have formally recognised a Palestinian state.
Spain has been one of the most vocal critics of Israeli actions. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the conflict as a “genocide” when announcing plans in September to formalise an arms embargo and prevent the transit of fuel shipments destined for Israel through Spanish ports. In August, Slovenia also introduced an arms ban, saying it was the first EU nation to do so.
The backlash has even reached the cultural arena: some national broadcasters are urging that Israel be barred from the Eurovision Song Contest. A vote by participating broadcasters in November will determine whether Israel can take part next year, amid growing calls for its exclusion due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
