Europe’s missed leverage in Gaza Opinion piece by Politico

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv has received dozens of high-profile visits from world leaders and senior officials. These trips, while symbolic, have also been substantive: they allowed policymakers to observe conditions firsthand, show solidarity with victims of war, and align their policy assumptions with on-the-ground realities.

A recent opinion piece by Politico argues that the European Union has failed to adopt the same approach in Gaza. Despite growing debates within the EU over whether Israel’s conduct violates the EU-Israel Association Agreement — the key framework governing trade between the two parties — not one European foreign minister has visited to assess the humanitarian situation first-hand.

This absence, the piece contends, is more than symbolic neglect; it represents a lost opportunity to wield the EU’s economic and political leverage.

EU’s untapped leverage

The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, accounting for roughly one-third of Israeli trade. Israel, on the other hand, represents less than one per cent of the EU’s global trade. This imbalance creates leverage that could, if used effectively, shape Israeli policy. According to the article, “with a growing number of member countries believing Israel’s conduct in the war violates the deal’s provisions, its terms are now falling under scrutiny.”

Faced with this scrutiny, Israel has pledged to expand humanitarian access — including more aid trucks, additional crossing points, protection for aid workers, and rebuilding infrastructure. Yet, as the piece highlights, these commitments have largely remained rhetorical. 

Humanitarian crisis

The humanitarian toll in Gaza is staggering. The piece cites UN warnings of famine and describes how starvation is accelerating, children are dying of malnutrition. Since May 2025 alone, UN reports confirm that the Israeli military killed nearly 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza who were trying to access food and that nearly 200 people have been documented to have died of hunger, including 96 children.

This grim reality stands in contrast to Israel’s diplomatic assurances to the EU. Without independent monitoring, the opinion warns, Israel’s promises risk becoming “little more than empty gestures if Europe won’t meaningfully monitor and enforce them.”

From solidarity to complicity?

The EU’s initial solidarity with Israel following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack — which killed nearly 1,200 people and saw more than 250 hostages taken — was, the article notes, “a sincere and deeply felt reaction to the brutality of Hamas.” Yet, as the war drags on, that solidarity in response to Hamas’s atrocities is now devolving into complicity with Israel's atrocities, the opinionh piece points out. 

The devastation in Gaza underscores this shift. Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, while schools, homes, and hospitals lie in ruins. Aid remains sporadic, with more than half-a-million people enduring famine-like conditions.

Some European leaders have begun voicing sharper criticism. EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas recently warned:

“The killing of civilians seeking aid in Gaza is indefensible…. All options remain on the table if Israel doesn’t deliver on its pledges.” 

Similarly, the UK, France, and Canada have threatened “further concrete actions” should Israel fail to lift aid restrictions, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz admitted that Israel’s campaign “can no longer be justified by the fight against Hamas.”

These statements mark a rhetorical shift. But as the article stresses, “words alone won’t stop the bombs.”

What must change

The piece’s central argument is that European credibility hinges on action. It calls for EU officials, including Kallas, to demand access to Gaza, just as Israel has facilitated visits by senior US officials. By hearing from doctors, aid workers and Palestinian civilians directly, EU leaders could bring testimonies back to their parliaments and publics, providing the basis for more robust policy responses.

Ultimately, the EU-Israel Association Agreement cannot serve as a “blank check for Israeli impunity.” For Europe, the choice is clear: either enforce accountability and uphold humanitarian principles, or risk eroding its moral authority, the article calls. 

By Sabina Mammadli