The Israeli occupation entity is facing mounting criticism and growing isolation across Europe, as opposition to its war in Gaza and policies in the occupied West Bank moves beyond public protests into professional and trade union decisions and economic pressure that is beginning to raise concerns within the Israeli enemy’s defense industry.
While European Union governments struggle to agree on coordinated measures, segments of European society are taking steps to impose practical costs on the continuation of Israeli policies.
In a report from Brussels, The Guardian correspondent Jennifer Rankin examines the contrast between rising public anger across Europe and the EU’s inability to translate it into a common policy.
Despite a shift in Britain’s position, including London’s announcement of broad trade sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements and its condemnation of what it described as ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, these steps have yet to translate into collective European action on the scale anticipated.
Widening Divide
France and Canada have joined commitments to restrict settlement products and penalize entities that facilitate or benefit from settlement activities. Other countries have also announced plans to restrict trade with companies operating beyond the Green Line. However, these measures have yet to produce a unified European front capable of changing the calculations of the Zionist government.
Opinion polls reveal a widening gap between official policies and the views of large segments of the public. According to a Pew Research Center survey covering 10 European countries, unfavorable views of “Israel” increased in several countries compared with the previous year.
The proportion of respondents expressing negative views reached 75% in Italy, 73% in Germany, and 70% in Poland, indicating that criticism is no longer confined to countries most supportive of the Palestinian cause.
Cultural Boycotts
The shift is also extending into the cultural sphere. Five countries have chosen to boycott this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in protest against the Israeli participation, after organizers rejected calls to exclude the country over its conduct during the Gaza war and escalating violence in the West Bank. The Israeli enemy’s participation in European events is thus facing opposition extending beyond political circles to cultural institutions and the public.
These developments come amid the continuing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The Guardian reported that the Palestinian death toll had exceeded 74,000, including at least 21,200 children, since the war erupted following the October 7, 2023, attack.
Humanitarian conditions remain dire, with shortages of water, food, medicine, and medical equipment, alongside economic collapse, the spread of disease, and continued fatalities despite the announcement of a ceasefire.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the repercussions could extend beyond companies operating in settlements to other Israeli businesses, as foreign companies may prefer to avoid Israeli suppliers to reduce legal and commercial risks.
Internal Divisions Within the EU
The European Union, which maintains extensive trade ties with the Israeli occupation worth approximately €68 billion ($73.4 billion), remains constrained by internal divisions.
Spain and Ireland are pushing for a review of whether “Israel” complies with the human rights conditions set out in the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Germany and Austria oppose measures targeting the Israeli government, while the positions of the Czech Republic and Italy are closer to those of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. France, the Netherlands, and other countries have adopted more critical positions but have failed to secure consensus on sanctions.
Martin Konečný, director of the European Middle East Project in Brussels, described the EU’s stance as a continuation of a state of “self-imposed ineffectiveness.”
Pressure on Brussels intensified after more than 500 former European officials and diplomats issued a statement criticizing the bloc’s failure to act over developments in Gaza and the West Bank. They accused Germany and Italy of obstructing European measures, undermining the EU’s values and the two-state solution.
Pressure from Professional Bodies and Trade Unions
While governments have struggled to agree on collective action, pressure has begun to emerge through professional organizations and trade unions.
In another report for The Guardian, Denis Campbell wrote that Britain’s Royal Pharmaceutical Society had ended Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva’s sponsorship and participation in its annual conference following an internal review that raised concerns about company activities deemed inconsistent with the institution’s values.
The decision followed a similar move by the Royal College of Nursing, which severed its ties with the company after pressure from pro-Palestinian activists.
The campaign called on healthcare institutions to apply consistent ethical standards, noting that British professional bodies had taken action against Russian companies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Activists have called for the same ethical scrutiny to be applied to commercial relationships and investments linked to the Israeli occupation entity, urging other healthcare institutions to review their ties with Teva.
The controversy surrounding the company, however, is not based solely on its connection to the Zionist entity. Teva has previously faced fines and legal settlements in the United States and Europe, including a €462.6 million ($499.6 million) European fine in 2024 over anticompetitive practices in the market for a multiple sclerosis drug. The company has also faced earlier cases involving drug price-fixing and bribery.
Teva has rejected the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s decision, warning against the politicization of healthcare.
Defense Industry Faces Mounting Risks
In a more sensitive sector, concerns are growing in the Israeli occupation entity that trade restrictions could develop into broader pressure on its defense industry.
Yuval Azulai, writing for Ynet, the news website affiliated with Yedioth Ahronoth, reported that British and Canadian arms manufacturers had begun questioning the so-called Israeli defense companies about their activities in settlements, their sources of raw materials, and their commercial relationships with businesses operating there.
The responses could become a decisive factor in determining whether cooperation continues, particularly if foreign companies fear violating sanctions regulations.
The risk is that the consequences could extend beyond businesses operating in settlements to other Israeli companies, as foreign firms may choose to avoid Israeli suppliers to limit legal and commercial exposure.
Replacing components used in fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and communications systems could also take months because of the testing and modifications required to ensure system safety and operational readiness.
Attempts to Disrupt Shipments
In France, pressure has moved beyond calls for boycotts to attempts to disrupt shipments linked to the Israeli occupation’s military industry.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, in a report by Hagai Amit in collaboration with TheMarker, said French labor organizations claimed to have prevented a shipment of components intended for Israeli defense company Elbit Systems from being loaded onto an Air France flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Ben Gurion Airport.
The unions announced that they would also seek to prevent the shipment from being transported on an El Al flight, calling on French authorities and airlines to stop it.
Air France, meanwhile, confirmed that the shipment had not been carried aboard its aircraft and said it does not transport weapons or ammunition to “Israel.”
These developments do not mean Europe has agreed on a unified policy or that public opposition will automatically translate into a comprehensive trade and arms embargo. They do, however, point to a changing European environment in which government positions are no longer the sole factor shaping relations with the Zionist entity.
As trade unions, professional institutions, and companies move to reduce or reassess their ties with the Zionist enemy, continued cooperation is becoming more costly and complicated.
This highlights the dilemma facing Netanyahu: while his government speaks of building security and industrial independence to make “Israel” less reliant on foreign partners, European pressure underscores how difficult that goal is to achieve in a world of interconnected manufacturing, technology, and defense supply chains.
Governments may continue to delay action, but the growing number of European societies and institutions withdrawing their ethical and commercial support for the Israeli occupation entity is gradually narrowing the room for maneuver available to it.
Source: Agencies (translated and edited by Al-Manar)