On May 20, the European Union announced that it would review its wide-ranging trade and cooperation agreement with Israel in response to the offensive in Gaza and its unwillingness to fully lift a two-month aid blockade.
The EU executive will now launch a review to establish whether Israel has violated its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a broad-ranging pact that defines the trading and diplomatic relations between both sides.
The measure, planned in early May by Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, was backed by 17 out of 27 EU-member states; specifically, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Among those who opposed the measure were Italy and Germany, which expressed their concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but did not vote in favor. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, and Lithuania also moved against it, while Latvia remained neutral.
As reported by the Austrian TV channel Ö1, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said his government supported the review, but opposed “suspending this agreement entirely,” stressing the importance of dialogue.
The UK has also been pressing Israel and recently suspended the free trade talks while announcing sanctions on some Israeli settlers in Judea and Samaria.
Israel’s response came soon after, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that Jerusalem had agreed over and over to the U.S. proposals for a ceasefire and to the release of the hostages, but Hamas refused every time. The ministry added that ignoring facts and solely criticizing Israel only encourages Hamas to avoid surrendering and carrying on the war.
The conditions indicated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war are just, precise, and clear: All hostages must be returned, Hamas must lay down weapons and be exiled, Gaza must be completely demilitarized and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan must be implemented.
Therefore, why are some European leaders so reluctant to clearly and unequivocally call on Hamas to surrender and free all the hostages once and for all?
One reason could be the fear of internal unrest in countries with a strong Muslim presence, such as Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. It is good to keep in mind that the so-called Palestinian cause is the most felt and shared at the level of the global ummah.
European cities have in fact been the scene of massive anti-Israel demonstrations since October 7, 2023, far more numerous than those that occurred during the Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war. In many cases, protesters chanted slogans calling for the destruction of Israel and displayed Hamas and Hezbollah flags.
Furthermore, these demonstrations have also often found support from far-left groups, which have taken to the streets alongside Islamists and pro-Palestinians to exploit the situation.
The tension has been rising significantly in the last few weeks and, on May 22, Swedish MEP Alice Teodorescu Måwe, of the Christian Democrat Party (KD), was verbally and physically attacked by a pro-Palestinian Swede of Middle Eastern descent who works for a Swedish left-wing party in Brussels.
Teodorescu Måwe is well known for her pro-Israel views and, in October 2024, she suggested that the recognition of Israel’s right to exist should be a prerequisite for Swedish citizenship.
In April, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy was targeted by pro-Palestine protestors who left child-sized body bags outside of his home in London. The following month, the British minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, was mobbed outside the Foreign Office by screaming pro-Palestine protesters who called him a “genocide supporter”.
In Italy, far-left and pro-Palestinian groups marched in the streets with placards showing the faces of ministers, MPs, and journalists and the words “Zionist agent”.
Moreover, the fear of hard-to-control Muslim riots such as the ones that occurred in the past in French banlieues is high among the European authorities, especially since the Muslim population in the Old Continent is quickly growing.
The demographics also condition the potential votes, and some left-wing European parties aim to gather the votes of Muslims, who are demographically more numerous than Jews. Therefore, these parties are willing to support the Palestinian cause.
For instance, the Italian left is supporting the referendum that will be held on June 8 and 9, suggesting a reduction from 10 to 5 years of the time of legal residence in Italy of a non-EU adult foreigner to request Italian citizenship. Once a citizen, he would be allowed to vote.
Last, but not least in order of importance, there is a huge issue that has to do with the contrast to Muslim Brotherhood-related Islamism, which fuels Hamas. As a matter of fact, the Gaza-based terrorist organization was born as the Palestinian branch of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
A recent confidential report, published by the French government, raised an alarm regarding the Muslim Brotherhood’s activity in the country due to the “subversive nature of the project,” as it aims to influence policymakers to erode secular values in favor of Islamic law. The report also discusses the Islamist attempt to influence EU policymakers regarding immigration laws and the Palestinian cause.
The Muslim Brotherhood (and its main supporter, Qatar), through the use of umbrella organizations, has infiltrated the EU on multiple levels, in politics, academia and, in some cases, individuals connected to the Movement’s ideology became interlocutors to the institutions on security and religious-related matters. This could be part of the reason why widespread anti-Israel sentiment is so widespread among those sectors of society.
Hamas, as part of this wider Islamist mechanism, did the same and developed a series of networks and connections in Europe that were exposed in detail by an Elnet report in October 2024.
Unlike ISIS or al-Qaeda, which are full-blown terrorist organizations, the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas were enabled to operate and develop their networks on European soil. Hamas was able to do that despite being classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and a “no contact” policy preventing its officials from engaging with members of Hamas. How many police operations have there been in Europe against Hamas in comparison to those against ISIS or al-Qaeda?
Europe may not be ready to face a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas because, while ISIS bases its activity on the use of clandestine networks and cells, the first two have been able to root inside Europe through a process of multi-level infiltration and legitimization. Therefore, it is much more difficult for the authorities to intervene now.
The fear that the eradication of Hamas in Gaza may cause a new wave of Palestinian and pro-Palestinian terrorism in the Old Continent is high, and therefore, it’s easier to condemn Israel.