Germany’s love affair with Israel looks absurd

 

Richness and vitality.

Remember those words. They appear in a European Union document, dated 26 March.

Eight days earlier, Israel resumed its full-scale attacks on Gaza, violating the ceasefire deal reached in January.

The resumption of attacks followed a blockade – still in place – on the entry of food and medicine. Hunger and malnutrition have soared as a result.

Despite all the deprivation and death in Palestine, some Brussels officials felt the time was right to celebrate the “richness and vitality of relations between the European Union and Israel.”

The 26 March document may have attracted little attention yet it was not merely an internal discussion paper. Rather, it was a formal proposal to extend an “action plan” on deepening EU-Israel cooperation.

The “action plan” – which requires renewal every few years – falls under the rubric of the association agreement underpinning EU-Israel relations.

Until recently, that deal seemed to enjoy solid backing from nearly all EU governments. During 2024, Spain and Ireland were the only two member countries which requested a review of the agreement, citing a clause stipulating that trade preferences and joint EU-Israel activities are conditional on respect for human rights.

Ireland and Spain are no longer the outliers. Over the past few weeks, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Slovenia have all called for a review or indicated they would be in favor of one.

Israel’s supporters are clearly disgruntled by the backlash. Old certainties – such as Israel regarding the Netherlands as one of its staunchest allies – are slowly unraveling.

The significance of what is happening should not, however, be exaggerated.

Most of those EU countries now calling for minimal action towards holding Israel accountable are only doing so 19 months after a genocidal war began.

If those states are really serious about defending Palestinian rights, they must not use the likelihood that no consensus on suspending the association agreement will be reached at the EU level as an excuse for continuing their complicity in Israel’s crimes. Instead, they must be prepared to sanction Israel either individually or as an ad hoc coalition.  (more...)

Germany’s love affair with Israel looks absurd

Johann Wadephul, Germany’s new foreign minister today – on Israel’s total blockade (a war crime): “That’s why it is understandable that the Israeli government is looking for ways to wrest [aid] out of Hamas’s hands.” pic.twitter.com/3BPVsr01Zc

— Hanno Hauenstein (@hahauenstein) May 11, 2025