Israel is losing almost all its allies as it forges on in Gaza

Axios

25-05-2025

Many of Israel's closest international allies have broken publicly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for its relentless pummeling of Gaza and freezing of desperately needed humanitarian aid.
Why it matters: Netanyahu had unprecedented international legitimacy to fight back against Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks. But a gradual decline in support as the war dragged on has now turned into a diplomatic tsunami.
Driving the news: Netanyahu lost many of his remaining friends in the West, outside of the U.S., over the last two months after terminating a ceasefire in March and blocking all deliveries of food, water and medicine to Gaza.
The pressure escalated sharply earlier this month when he launched an operation to reoccupy and flatten Gaza rather than accept a deal to free the hostages and end the war.
President Trump and his top aides have signaled to Netanyahu that he should wind down the war and allow in aid, though Trump has mostly kept his concerns private. Several other leaders have gone public.
What they're saying: "We will not stand by while the Netanyahu Government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response," President Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the U.K. said in a joint statement on May 19.
Netanyahu responded with fury, accusing the three in a video statement of doing Hamas' bidding. "They want Israel to stand down and accept that Hamas's army of mass murderers will survive, rebuild and repeat the October 7th massacre again and again and again because that's what Hamas has vowed to do."
"I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice. You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history."
State of play: Israel's isolation is moving beyond mere rhetoric.
The U.K. on Thursday announced it was suspending trade negotiations with Israel and imposed new sanctions Thursday against Israeli settlers involved in violent attacks against Palestinians.
France is expected to co-host a conference with Saudi Arabia next month to push for a two-state solution, and is expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
Spain already recognized a Palestinian state last year, along with Norway and Ireland, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last week labeled Israel a "genocidal state" and called for it to be banned from the Eurovision song contest.
17 of 27 EU foreign ministers backed a motion on Tuesday brought by the Netherlands, another key Israeli ally, to reconsider the bloc's trade and cooperation pact with Israel.
The other side: Netanyahu and his government have responded to the criticism by accusing European leaders of antisemitism and claiming they're caving to pressure from the Muslim minorities in their countries. But Israel also agreed to allow some aid into Gaza for the first time since March.
Behind the scenes: In a series of Security Council meetings back in March, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned Netanyahu that suspending humanitarian aid would not weaken Hamas, but would drive away Israel's allies.
Eventually, Israel would have to cave and resume the aid under pressure, Sa'ar argued, according to a senior Israeli official.
"This is exactly what happened. It was a huge mistake and was done mostly for domestic political considerations," the official said.
What to watch: While Trump seems to have cooled on his own plan to expel all 2 million Palestinians from Gaza to build a new "riviera," Netanyahu said last week for the first time that the war won't end until that plan is implemented.
The Netanyahu government sees it as a green light for pursuing "voluntary migration" — a code name for mass displacement of the entire population first into a "humanitarian zone" in Gaza and the, ideally, abroad.
If Israel follows through on that plan, which involves leveling virtually all of Gaza, it will almost certainly further isolate itself internationally.