Brussels, my love? War in Gaza - what's Netanyahu's endgame?
In the Middle East, we've come to a turning point. Many of Israel's remaining allies have broken publicly with Benjamin Netanyahu's government for its relentless pummelling of Gaza and freezing of desperately needed humanitarian aid.
In a highly unusual move, Canada, France and the UK threatened Israel with consequences. And even Donald Trump seems to run out of patience. Will Netanyahu listen? What leverage does the international community have on Israel? And on Hamas?
Questions to this week's panel: James Moran, associate senior research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Kathleen Van Brempt, member of the European Parliament from the Belgian Social Democrats and Jacob Reynolds, head of policy at Hungarian think tank MCC Brussels.
International pressure has been mounting on Israel over the past several days over its strategy in Gaza. The European Union said it will review its wide-ranging trade and cooperation pact with Israel over what Brussels sees as a catastrophic situation in Gaza .
And even Germany, usually a staunch Israeli ally, voiced strong criticism, signalling that Berlin is unwilling to become isolated in the EU over Israel.
It doesn't look like Netanyahu is willing to change anything. Israel launched a new military offensive into the enclave amid the reports that Israel's military plans to control 75% of Gaza within the next two months.
Should Europe push (again) for a two-state solution?
Behind the innocent acronym SAFE lies a risky gamble, a continental ambition, and perhaps the beginning of an assertive military divorce from Washington. SAFE stands for 'Security Action for Europe', an unprecedented 150 billion-euro plan to revolutionize the Old Continent's defence capabilities.
A kind of Marshall Plan for the 21st century, but with support no longer coming from the United States. The EU Commission proposed SAFE through a legislative instrument that allows it to bypass a vote by the Parliament. And this is the problem.
Was this a smart move? The president of the European Parliament threatened to sue the Commission over this plan - are we running into a constitutional crisis here?
Finally, participants discussed the latest fight between Brussels and Hungary.
The European Commission is setting the stage for an all-out confrontation with Budapest. Brussels has demanded that Budapest withdraw its controversial draft law aimed at limiting foreign funding of media organizations and NGOs.
If the law were to come into force, it would give the government far-reaching powers to crack down on the press and critical voices in society. The EU Commission sees this as a serious violation of European principles and laws.
Some members of the European Parliament from five different groups are urging the Commission to immediately freeze all EU funding to Hungary. Is this the right reaction and would it even be legally possible?
What is the end game here? Can Hungary survive as a member of the European Union?
Poland's two presidential candidates held their last election campaigns on Friday ahead of a runoff vote on Sunday.
It will follow a first round on May 18, in which Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski won more than 31% of the vote and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian, earned nearly 30%. Eleven other candidates were eliminated.
In the seaside city of Gdansk, Trzaskowski referenced the city's role in the Solidarity movement while addressing supporters.
'We all remember the shipyard workers who said, 'enough fear, enough lies, enough contempt.' Today, once again, we must stand together,' he said.
'For you, it will be just a few steps to the polling station, but together we can make a milestone towards realising our dreams and aspirations.'
In his closing address, Nawrocki presented himself as a candidate who is 'simply one of you.'
He described himself as 'a citizen of the Polish state who has come a long way to compete with a man created by a political laboratory.'
Under Polish law, all campaigning and political advertising must cease at midnight. No public comment is allowed until polls close on Sunday.
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