Israel losing most steadfast EU supporter
Germany is rethinking its military and trade ties with Israel, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The 'surprising' pivot from one of the Jewish state's staunchest supporters comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and growing frustration in Berlin over Israel's actions.
'German anger' rose in mid-May as Israel intensified its campaign against Hamas while continuing to block humanitarian aid, according to information obtained by Bloomberg.
Germany has adhered to a long-standing policy that protecting Israel is a post-Holocaust obligation. It has also been Israel's largest European arms supplier and one of its top trade partners.
In Germany's first such public comments since the war began 20 months ago, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said last week that the humanitarian situation could 'no longer be justified by a fight against Hamas terrorism.'
During a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, Merz urged the Israeli prime minister to allow 'sufficient humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip immediately.'
'This is a real marker of how things have moved,' Julien Barnes-Dacey of the European Council on Foreign Relations told Bloomberg. 'It's simply become impossible for most European governments to continue supporting Israel's war despite strong ongoing commitments to Israel's security.'
Israel has long faced accusations of war crimes for obstructing humanitarian aid to Gaza, including a total blockade imposed after October 7, 2023, and repeated restrictions on food, fuel, and medicine entering the besieged enclave. While the Israeli government argues such measures are necessary to prevent supplies from reaching Hamas, critics say the impact on civilians is catastrophic.
Berlin's shift mirrors wider discontent across Europe. The UK, France, and the Netherlands are also weighing trade and arms restrictions on Israel. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in May there is 'a strong majority' in favor of reviewing the EU-Israel trade agreement. The EU is Israel's largest trading partner, with $47 billion in goods exchanged last year, according to IMF data.
Last week, Israel launched a new aid distribution system through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed initiative. However, the effort has already drawn criticism, as multiple incidents have occurred where Palestinians seeking aid were killed. On Tuesday, at least 27 people died near a distribution site in Rafah, according to Palestinian health officials and witnesses. The Israeli military said troops fired on individuals who had strayed from designated routes and posed a potential threat.
Israel maintains that its military strategy is necessary to defeat Hamas and secure the release of the remaining hostages who had been taken during the October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people. The Hamas-run health ministry reports over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.
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