Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday of echoing “false propaganda of Hamas and its partners” in her annual State of the Union address.
Von der Leyen’s remarks were “regrettable,” Sa’ar wrote in a Hebrew X post. “Once again, Europe conveys a mistaken message, one that strengthens Hamas and the radical axis in the Middle East.”
Sa’ar’s remarks came after Von der Leyen announced to E.U. lawmakers on Wednesday morning that Brussels’ executive would be putting all its bilateral payments to Israel “on hold” over the war against Hamas.
“What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable,” Von der Leyen told the European parliament in Strasbourg, accusing the Israeli military of orchestrating a “man-made famine” in the Gaza Strip.
“We will put out bilateral support to Israel on hold. We will stop all payments in these areas, without affecting our work with Israeli civil society or Yad Vashem,” she said, referring to Israel’s Holocaust museum.
She acknowledged that disagreements among the bloc’s 27 members had blocked more concrete action, including a proposal to suspend research funding, but added that “we must all take our own responsibility.”
For this reason, the European Commission “will do all that it can do on its own,” she said. Von der Leyen also said she would be putting forward a proposal to E.U foreign ministers to sanction “extremist ministers and violent settlers” and partially suspend the trade deal with Jerusalem.
According to Sa’ar, Von der Leyen “is well aware of Israel’s efforts, together with, among others, the European Union itself, to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza.”
The president “is mistaken in yielding to pressure from elements seeking to undermine Israel–Europe relations,” the diplomat stated, saying that the measures “run contrary to the interests of Europe’s own states.”
“Above all: this is not the way partners treat one another,” he added.
“Anyone who truly seeks to end the war knows very well how to achieve it: the release of the hostages, the disarmament of Hamas and a new future for Gaza. Hurting Israel will not help—on the contrary. It only entrenches Hamas and Israel’s enemies in their obstinacy,” he said.
European foreign ministers remain divided over what action to take regarding the war, preventing them from agreeing on a plan of action at an informal meeting in Copenhagen on Aug. 30.
A statement released by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas after the meeting gave the impression that Brussels’ Foreign Affairs Council on the whole opposed Jerusalem’s decision to expand Israel Defense Forces operations into Gaza City.
“The options are clear and remain on the table,” Kallas said of proposals for sanctions. “But the problem is that not all E.U. member states are on board. But again, we had a very good discussion on different options, and we will continue to try to find ways to explore what can we do.”
“What more can we do to really improve the situation? We will explore those ideas further,” she added. “But it is clear that member states disagree on how to get the Israeli government to change course.”
Last month, Von der Leyen’s No. 2, Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, delivered Brussels’ most severe denunciation of Israel’s military operations in Gaza to date, saying the war “looks very much like genocide.”
Ribera had previously criticized Von der Leyen for the E.U.'s supposed failure to confront the alleged humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip amid the fighting, declaring that “history will not look the other way.”
On Monday, a European Union spokesperson said Brussels condemns “all loss of lives” after a Hamas-claimed terrorist shooting attack killed six Jewish Israeli civilians in northern Jerusalem earlier in the day.
“We condemn this attack, as we condemn all loss of lives,” said E.U. spokesman Anouar El Anouni in a statement to AFP. “We call for de-escalation, and this shows how necessary and critical a ceasefire is.
“Civilians on both sides, both Palestinians and Israelis, have suffered for far too long and far too much. And this must end now, and it is high time to break this cycle of violence,” the E.U. spokesperson added.
