European political leaders have largely remained passive in response to civilian deaths, famine and alleged war crimes in Gaza, a stance seen by many as morally and politically failing. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez called Europe's refusal to act a moral and political failure and accused Israel of genocide in July. Sanchez urged suspension of the EU-Israel strategic partnership and financial punishments, noting the EU's strong economic levers as Israel's biggest trading partner. An internal EU review could have suspended trade concessions. Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic oppose sanctions, limiting immediate EU action and requiring Spain to persuade more member states.
Against the scale of civilian slaughter, famine and mounting evidence of war crimes in Gaza, Europe's political leaders have been passive to the point of complicity, argue many human rights advocates and even former high-ranking EU officials. Now the Spanish prime minister has come close to acknowledging as much. In an interview with the Guardian, Pedro Sanchez characterised Europe's refusal to act against the Israeli government as a moral and political failure that would damage its global credibility for years to come.
Spain's leader wants the suspension of the strategic partnership the EU has with Israel and said that Spain would push Europe to do more, including punishing Israel financially. The EU certainly has strong economic levers it could pull, being Israel's biggest trading partner. An internal review in July could have triggered a suspension of some of the trade concessions Israel enjoys under its association agreement with the EU.
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