How Netanyahu finally lost Europe
Less than two years after the Hamas October 7 terror attack on Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has lost Europe.
The continent's most influential leaders rallied behind Israel's right to defend itself and the subsequent war on the terrorist group, but new military tactics involving massive air strikes, food and aid shortages have sapped that goodwill.
Operation Gideon's Chariots aims, for the first time, to seize and hold huge swathes of the Gaza Strip, rather than attacking Hamas in a given area, then moving on.
It involves ordering the entire civilian population to a 'humanitarian zone' in the south, and follows, until last week, a two-and-half-month block on aid.
Now there are increasingly loud European calls for an arms embargo to end the relentless prosecution of a war many see as already won.
The starkest sign of the estrangement came on Monday, when Germany, Israel's strongest ally in Europe, warned it would not export weapons used to break humanitarian law.
Friedrich Merz, the centre-Right Chancellor, attacked the air strikes as 'no longer comprehensible'. Such words carry extra significance because of the legacy of the Holocaust.
Germany has a policy of special responsibility for Israel, which means it almost always backs it to the hilt. It is also its second-largest global arms supplier behind the United States.
But public opinion is shifting, and there are calls from Mr Merz's coalition partners to impose the arms embargo or risk German complicity in war crimes.
The rebuke from Israel was furious. Foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar warned that any attempt to block weapons from getting to Israel would result in the country's destruction and 'another Holocaust'.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is a member of Mr Merz's Christian Democrats.
The German politician was criticised for freelancing after travelling to Israel after October 7 and giving a full-throated endorsement of its right to defend itself, in breach of EU convention.
On Monday, she accused Israel of using 'disproportionate force' in an 'abhorrent' escalation and called for an immediate ceasefire.
The EU is now reviewing its trade agreement with Israel, after a request by the Netherlands, which was backed by 17 of the bloc's 27 member states.
Britain shelved trade talks with Israel last week, condemning Israel's refusal to allow thousands of aid trucks access to Palestinians.
On this, as on Russia's illegal war in Ukraine, London is working in coordination with Berlin and Paris.
Ireland and Spain faced accusations of anti-Semitism after they formally recognised Palestine in May last year.
Once outliers in Europe, they are seeing other countries move closer to their position.
Earlier this week, Spain hosted an international meeting in Madrid, attended by Britain, Germany, Italy and others, and called for an arms embargo on Israel.
Ireland has begun work on a ban on Israeli imports from occupied Palestinian territories and said it hopes to convince its EU allies to follow suit.
Unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state probably ranks second in Israel's list of diplomatic nightmares after a weapons embargo.
France, home to the largest Jewish population in Europe, is currently leading this effort.
This has prompted behind-the-scenes accusations of betrayal in Jerusalem, with sources claiming they had been assured that Emmanuel Macron's government would not do this.
The great moment of danger for Israel is a conference Mr Macron is convening along with the Saudis next month, beginning on June 17 at which, it is feared, more European declarations of Palestinian state recognition might emerge.
Germany, it is thought, still opposes a move that would expose Israel's growing international isolation.
The EU is Israel's largest trading partner, but its most important ally remains the US, by far its largest arms supplier.
What started as a honeymoon period in US-Israel relations at the start of Donald Trump's second term has, if not soured, then certainly cooled since January.
Mr Netanyahu is frustrated that Mr Trump is prioritising a nuclear deal with Iran, which prevents Israeli strikes on the Iranian nuclear programme.
Mr Trump is frustrated by the quagmire in Gaza and the lack of progress on hostages. But few seriously believe the Republican establishment, with its evangelical Christian core, will allow Mr Trump to drift too far from Israel.
So Mr Netanyahu remains unrepentant and on the offensive.
Last week, the UK, France and Canada warned they would take 'concrete actions' against Israel unless it allowed aid back in.
Mr Netanyahu hit back, accusing the three leaders of being on the wrong side of history.
One Israeli diplomatic source told The Telegraph: 'There was a real feeling of betrayal about Keir Starmer's involvement.
'There is a view here that France is unpredictable and just does what it does and Canada isn't that important. However, Britain is important, particularly because it's been such an ally in the past in the fight against terrorism and given such tangible support.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
Morning Bid: Switch 2 debuts but no fun-and-games in trade
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Rocky Swift It's Switch 2 Day! The much-anticipated sequel to Nintendo's immensely successful portable gaming unit goes on sale around the world on Thursday. But don't bother trying to find one: They're all sold out. The Switch 2 is manufactured mostly in China and sold out of Japan, so it's anybody's guess when there will be more of them available and what they'll cost, given all the uncertainty over tariffs and supply chains. A United States deadline for "best offers" on trade came and went on Wednesday without any trade announcements, and President Donald Trump continued to stir up controversy on the global stage with a proclamation banning nationals of 12 countries from the U.S. But the trade talks go on, with Japan sending its head trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa to the U.S. again today in search of a deal. Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is also headed to Washington for some face time with Trump in the Oval Office. The main event today will be the European Central Bank's interest rate decision, which is almost certain to cut rates by 25 basis points. The post-decision comments by President Christine Lagarde will be all the more important for clues on future policy moves. Stock futures pointed to flat openings for both European and U.S. markets. Key developments that could influence markets on Thursday: - ECB decision, speech by Christine Lagarde - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz travels to Washington - German data on industrial orders, consumer goods for April - U.S. data on jobless claims for end of May, trade data for April - Fed's Jeffrey Schmid, Patrick Harker, Adriana Kugler to speak Trying to keep up with the latest tariff news? Our new daily news digest offers a rundown of the top market-moving headlines impacting global trade. Sign up for Tariff Watch here.
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
Germany's Merz to face Trump in Oval Office on inaugural trip
BERLIN/WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will hold his first face-to-face talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday in a high stakes meeting in the Oval Office as Europe seeks to stave off looming U.S. tariffs and sustain U.S. backing for Ukraine. The 69-year-old conservative, who took the helm of Europe's largest economy last month, is scheduled to join Trump for lunch and one-on-one talks that analysts say could set the tone for U.S.-German ties for years to come. Germany's export-oriented economy stands more to lose from U.S. tariffs than others and the country is also the second largest military and financial backer of Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion, after the United States. The meeting comes amid a broader fraying of the transatlantic relationship. Trump's administration has, for example, intervened in domestic European politics in a break with past practise, aligning with right-wing political movements and challenging European policies on immigration and free speech. The encounter will be closely watched after some recent meetings in the Oval Office, with the leaders of Ukraine and South Africa, for example, turned tense when Trump ambushed them with false claims and accusations. Merz and his entourage have sought coaching from other leaders on how to deal with Trump to avoid conflict. The meeting comes just weeks before a critical summit of the NATO Western military alliance which is looking increasingly strained given Trump's threats not to come to the aid of U.S. allies that do not up their spending on defence. Such threats are of particular concern to Germany, which has relied on U.S. nuclear deterrence for its security since the end of World War Two. Merz has already made some bold policy moves that he can highlight to appease Trump, analysts said. He has backed Trump's demand to more than double NATO's spending target to 5% of economic output, earning unprecedented praise last weekend from U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Merz, who has vowed a more assertive foreign policy, also coordinated a visit by European leaders to Kyiv just days after taking office, two European diplomat sources said. "This shows that Germany is willing to accept a greater responsibility for Ukraine and the European security order – these are all things that have been wished for in the United States over years and will be welcomed," said Sudha David-Wilp of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. "Germany is well-positioned to show that it can help the United States achieve its foreign policy goals." The fact Merz was invited to stay in the Blair House guest quarters across from the White House is a positive signal, said analysts. Merz and Trump could even find some common ground given their business backgrounds, their membership in right-of-centre political parties, their focus on fighting illegal immigration and their fondness for golf, said Steven Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. They also both had run-ins with former German chancellor Angela Merkel - who once squeezed Merz out of top-level politics. Moreover Merz has described himself as "a convinced transatlanticist", chairing the "Atlantic Bridge", a non-profit fostering U.S.-German ties, for 10 years. "They might discover a kindred spirit," Sokol said. Still, Trump was unpredictable, while Merz was impulsive, warned analysts, and there were huge frictions in the relationship. "The challenge that he could face is ... if Trump says something is erroneous, do you correct him? Do you risk turning it into an argument?" said Jeffrey Rathke, a former U.S. diplomat and president of the American-German Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington. "Or do you find a way to indicate that you see it differently, but not let it sidetrack the conversation." U.S. administration officials remain upset that Merz criticized Trump shortly before the 2024 U.S. election, a source familiar with its thinking said. And, on the eve of his own election victory, Merz criticised the "ultimately outrageous" comments flowing from Washington during the campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia. Another possible landmine could be a recent German proposal for a levy on online platforms such as Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab, and Meta's Facebook (META.O), opens new tab, especially given Trump's close ties with the U.S. tech industry, he said.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Shein accused of ‘shaming' customers into buying more than they can afford
Consumer watchdogs from 21 countries have filed a formal complaint to EU authorities about alleged 'dark' practices by the Chinese fast fashion firm Shein including the 'shaming' of customers into buying more than they can afford. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has submitted a 29-page dossier to the European Commission citing multiple examples of 'dark patterns', or deceptive techniques designed to encourage purchases. They include alleged fake countdown timers, low-stock messages, nagging practices, creating a fear of missing out, or forced registration on the site or app. BEUC says Shein also deploys what is known as 'confirm shaming', which makes the consumer feel bad if they miss out on buying a product. Shein hit back at BEUC, claiming the consumer watchdog group was unwilling to meet the company to discuss the issues. 'This unwillingness to engage is extremely disappointing, particularly in light of Shein's growing popularity among European consumers,' it said. As part of its formal complaint, the consumer watchdog group wants the EU to force Shein to disclose the data behind claims used in its marketing such as 'stocks are low', and countdown timers to sales ending. BEUC accuses Shein of 'unfair commercial practice' that it claims are 'leading to severe detrimental consequences on consumers and society at large', creating wardrobes full of barely used clothes, and production methods that may use chemicals that are harmful to the environment. It has also accused the company of promoting shopping habits that increase environmental and societal problems. 'On the one hand, they promote excessive spending and trigger economic losses for consumers. On the other hand, they stir overconsumption of clothing, which often also contains harmful chemicals, hence misleading and disempowering consumers in their efforts towards the green transition. Ultimately, these practices fuel the environmental and societal problems caused by the fast fashion industry,' it said in its submission. If Shein could not provide the data behind its claims over countdown sales and stock levels, it should be forced to stop this message in the EU, BEUC said. The consumer watchdog group has also raised concerns over the 'circulation of unsafe products in Europe, which may not comply with EU standards for fabrics and accessories'. The complaint comes four months after the European Commission and the network of consumer protection authorities in the EU known as the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC), launched an investigation into Shein's compliance with Europe's consumer laws. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Last week, the EU and CPC network notified Shein it was breaching EU law in a number of areas including fake discounts, 'pressure selling' and 'deceptive product labels', which suggest the product offered something special when in fact the feature was required by law. They urged Shein to respect European consumer protection laws and warned the company could face fines if it failed to address the EU's concerns. BEUC said its complaint was complementary to the EU's action and involved 'additional evidence' about the use of dark practices and 'extensive research from consumer groups across Europe'. But Shein said: 'Consumers would be best served if BEUC agreed to meet with us, allow us to explain our operations, and discuss openly and transparently any concerns they have. Unfortunately, they have chosen to reject each and every one of our many meeting requests over the last several years.' The company added that it was already working constructively with national consumer authorities and the European Commission to demonstrate its commitment to complying with EU law.
