The Commission wants to suspend the trade part of the EU association agreement with Israel. A travel ban is also being prepared for two Israeli ministers who belong to the conservative-radical flank of the government. According to Von der Leyen, these steps should clearly show that the EU no longer looks away from the ongoing military violence.
During her speech in Strasbourg, the Commission President sharply condemned Israel's actions in Gaza. She stated that the disproportionate military violence has major humanitarian consequences and that it cannot continue without political and economic consequences. At the same time, she emphasized that Hamas must immediately release all hostages.
Von der Leyen also addressed the recent Israeli bombings of Hamas leaders in Qatar. She called these bombings disturbing and stated that they further increase instability in the region. Although she issued harsh criticism of Israeli military actions, she did not use the word genocide to describe the situation in Gaza.
The European Parliament is discussing a resolution on the violence in the Gaza Strip this week. A central point of contention is whether the term ‘genocide’ should be included in the text or not. Several factions are deeply divided on this, making a joint position difficult.
The debate in Parliament reflects the growing tension within European politics. Some factions push for a strong condemnation with the explicit use of genocide, while others warn of legal and diplomatic complications of such a designation.
Von der Leyen also advocated a drastic change in the EU’s foreign policy decision-making. She proposed abolishing the unanimity requirement and replacing it with a qualified majority. This would mean that one member state would no longer be able to block decisions.
This proposal is clearly aimed at countries that frequently block EU decisions, particularly Hungary. By switching to majority voting, the Commission wants to prevent European foreign policy from becoming paralyzed. Whether the member states will agree remains to be seen in the coming months.
The Commission’s course points to a shift in European policy towards Israel. While earlier responses mainly consisted of diplomatic calls, for the first time there is concrete talk of sanctions and suspension of trade benefits. This makes the upcoming deliberations in the Council and Parliament particularly politically charged.
UPDATE: in an earlier version of this article, Yemen was mistakenly mentioned instead of Qatar.