One year ago, Europe stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel after the October 7 Hamas massacre. Today, that solidarity is beginning to crack – not because Europe has changed but because Israel has.
The European Union is now considering sanctions. Not symbolic gestures, but real political and economic consequences. For the first time in decades, Brussels is invoking the human rights clause in its Association Agreement with Israel. Why? Because what is unfolding in Gaza – the humanitarian catastrophe, the disproportionate military response, the mounting civilian death toll – is forcing even Israel’s staunchest allies to reconsider their silence.
This isn’t just diplomatic friction. It’s a moral reckoning.
Israel is losing moral and political capital
France, Britain, and Canada have issued a joint condemnation of Israel’s conduct. Saudi Arabia is co-hosting a peace conference and has chosen not to invite Israel. Even Germany, long Israel’s most faithful European partner, is questioning whether historical responsibility should translate into unconditional support. In Berlin, people are beginning to ask: When does solidarity become complicity?
The signals from Europe couldn’t be clearer: Israel is losing both moral and political capital. Yet the Israeli government seems to believe it can simply power through – attacking critics, threatening retaliation, and counting on US President Donald Trump’s return as a diplomatic lifeline.
The Foreign Ministry accused French President Emmanuel Macron of launching a “crusade” against Israel. Diplomacy has given way to defiance. Policy to posturing. Dialogue to dismissal.
Henry Kissinger once remarked that Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic politics. That has never rung truer.
However, this isn’t just shortsighted. It’s self-defeating.
Israel's ties to the free world
Europe is more than a market. It is a cornerstone of Israel’s international legitimacy – a partner bound by shared values: democracy, pluralism, human dignity. These values are not only European. They are Israeli, too, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and echoed in the founding vision of the state.
If Israel turns away from Europe, it will not just risk trade or diplomatic support. It will lose something far more precious: the moral and ideological foundation that once tied it to the free world.
At a time when Israel is governed by the most radical coalition in its history and internal checks have all but disappeared, external accountability is no longer optional – it’s essential. Europe must speak clearly, firmly, and without apology: The path Israel is on is unsustainable. When allies speak up, it’s not betrayal – it’s responsibility.
The writer is a retired Israeli diplomat who served as ambassador to Hungary and Croatia, following a distinguished career in senior diplomatic and strategic roles.