Israel breaks ceasefire – and Europe can't (or won't) do anything about it
24 March 2025
Last Tuesday, Israel resumed bombing Gaza, breaking the ceasefire agreed on in January. So far, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 634 people, including many children.
How has Europe responded? Despite statements of "deep concern" by all major EU institutions, nothing substantial has happened: No sanctions, no diplomatic fallout. This shows Europe's powerlessness in the Middle East: The EU may be Israel's largest trade partner, but politically, it seems irrelevant. The reason is simple: the US calls the shots on Middle East diplomacy, and Europe falls in line.
Meanwhile, Europe's deep security and economic ties with Israel make it costly for the EU to apply real pressure. Germany and the UK export arms to Israel; France and Italy collaborate with it on counterterrorism. These relationships keep Europe on the sidelines.
 | Henrique Tizzot But there's one exception: money. The EU lacks diplomatic clout but holds a financial lever – it trades with Israel significantly. Germany alone was responsible for 30% of Israel's major arms imports between 2019 and 2023. Since 2014, Germany and France have issued €2.2 billion and €2.5 billion, respectively, in export licences to Israel. As we've shown, much EU money flows into Israeli defence firms, settlement-linked projects, and military tech. This could be used as leverage. The EU's position on Israel's indiscriminate assault on the Palestinian people exposes an uncomfortable truth: Europe's foreign policy is based on a fundamental contradiction – it claims to uphold human rights but applies it selectively; it has the economic tools to act but refuses to use them. While in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sanctions were imposed almost overnight, the EU shields Israel from any meaningful consequences. |
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