Israel's Western allies turn against it over Gaza. Is it ‘too little, too late'?
After 1½ years of death and destruction in Gaza, Israel's closest Western allies have begun to distance themselves from Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu – but only in their rhetoric, not by their actions.
Advertisement
Over the last two weeks, the leaders of Britain,
Canada and the European Union have threatened to take 'concrete steps' against
Israel for violating international humanitarian law by blocking the delivery of food, medicine and other aid desperately needed by Gaza's starving population.
Britain has suspended talks over a free-trade agreement with Israel, while the EU announced a review of its existing economic pact with the country.
Friedrich Mertz , the new chancellor of Germany – long Israel's staunchest supporter in Europe in an effort to atone for Nazi Germany's genocide of Jews in World War II – on Monday said the scale of human suffering in Gaza 'can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism'.
Hungry Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Jabalia, the northern Gaza Strip, on May 19. Photo: Reuters
Netanyahu is also finding himself increasingly at odds with
Donald Trump . The US president had called
in February for the Gaza Strip to be emptied of its 2.2 million Palestinian residents and turned into
a Riviera-style resort and economic free zone.
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
an hour ago
- RTHK
Tusk seeks parliamentary backing after far-right win
Tusk seeks parliamentary backing after far-right win Donald Tusk wants the vote of confidence to be held soon but insists the election of Karol Nawrocki does not change anything. Photo: Reuters Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday called for a parliamentary confidence vote in a bid to demonstrate continuing support for his pro-EU government after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election. European far-right leaders welcomed the election of the 42-year-old Nawrocki, a fan of US President Donald Trump who has said he will oppose the government's progressive agenda on abortion and LGBTQ rights. He won Sunday's runoff in the highly polarised EU and NATO member state with 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Tusk's liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski. In a televised address, former EU chief Tusk said he wanted the confidence vote "soon" and vowed to stay on, adding that the election "will not change anything". His comments came shortly after opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of the populist Law and Justice party said that Poles had shown him the "red card". Kacynski called for a "technical" government of experts to replace the current one. Nawrocki said on X that he wanted Poland to be "a state that matters in international, European and transatlantic relations". "I will represent you with dignity on the international state, ensuring Poland is treated as an equal," he wrote. Nawrocki could revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and complicate ties with Ukraine as he opposes NATO membership for the war-torn country and wants to cut benefits for Ukrainian refugees. "Nawrocki's presidency will be a rough ride for the Tusk government," said analyst Piotr Buras, adding that the president-elect "wants to overthrow" Tusk. He said the election result could lead to "early parliamentary elections, maybe not this year, but next" year. Reforms planned by Tusk, who came to power in 2023, have been held up by a deadlock with the current president, who endorsed Nawrocki. There have also been divisions in his governing coalition, which analysts said could be exacerbated by the election result. Polish presidents hold a crucial veto power over legislation. (AFP)
RTHK
an hour ago
- RTHK
Tusk seeks parliamentary backing after far-right win
Tusk seeks parliamentary backing after far-right win Donald Tusk wants the vote of confidence to be held soon but insists the election of Karol Nawrocki does not change anything. Photo: Reuters Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday called for a parliamentary confidence vote in a bid to demonstrate continuing support for his pro-EU government after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election. European far-right leaders welcomed the election of the 42-year-old Nawrocki, a fan of US President Donald Trump who has said he will oppose the government's progressive agenda on abortion and LGBTQ rights. He won Sunday's runoff in the highly polarised EU and NATO member state with 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Tusk's liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski. In a televised address, former EU chief Tusk said he wanted the confidence vote "soon" and vowed to stay on, adding that the election "will not change anything". His comments came shortly after opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of the populist Law and Justice party said that Poles had shown him the "red card". Kacynski called for a "technical" government of experts to replace the current one. Nawrocki said on X that he wanted Poland to be "a state that matters in international, European and transatlantic relations". "I will represent you with dignity on the international state, ensuring Poland is treated as an equal," he wrote. Nawrocki could revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and complicate ties with Ukraine as he opposes NATO membership for the war-torn country and wants to cut benefits for Ukrainian refugees. "Nawrocki's presidency will be a rough ride for the Tusk government," said analyst Piotr Buras, adding that the president-elect "wants to overthrow" Tusk. He said the election result could lead to "early parliamentary elections, maybe not this year, but next" year. Reforms planned by Tusk, who came to power in 2023, have been held up by a deadlock with the current president, who endorsed Nawrocki. There have also been divisions in his governing coalition, which analysts said could be exacerbated by the election result. Polish presidents hold a crucial veto power over legislation. (AFP)
RTHK
5 hours ago
- RTHK
US stocks end higher in spite of higher tariffs
US stocks end higher in spite of higher tariffs Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Photo: AFP US stocks shook off a gloomy start to the week to close higher on Monday, with traders looking through the new trade uncertainty fuelled by President Donald Trump's recent tariff threats. On Friday, Trump unleashed a new fear into the financial markets, threatening to double steel tariffs from 25 percent to 50 percent. But by Monday afternoon, traders were adopting a more buoyant mood, with all three major indices on Wall Street closing higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 0.1 percent at 42,305.48, while the broad-based S&P 500 finished up 0.4 percent at 5,935.94. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite also rose, climbing 0.7 percent to 19,242.61 amid enthusiasm about the impact of AI on profits. "I think we are seeing a bit of continuation of the positive interpretation of the market from Nvidia's earnings," Angelo Kourkafas from Edward Jones told AFP, referring to the chip titan's recent strong results. "Artificial intelligence remains a powerful driver for earnings," he continued, adding that the financial markets had become "a little insensitive" to the constant tariff threats from the White House. "We are moving away from the worst case scenarios," he said. While the broader markets finished higher, the steel tariff news hit auto makers hard, with both Ford and General Motors finishing the day down 3.9 percent. (AFP)
