After 19 months of pounding Gaza, Israel is now under growing pressure from unlikely quarters – some of its closest Western allies.
Their patience has worn thin over Israel’s decision to expand the war and, in the words of one Israeli minister, “conquer” the territory – a move paired with plans to forcibly displace Gaza’s entire population to the south and block all humanitarian aid for 11 weeks.
The United Kingdom has paused trade talks and sanctioned extremist settlers in the West Bank. Canada and France have threatened sanctions. And the European Union – Israel’s biggest trade partner – is reviewing its landmark Association Agreement with the country.
Aid groups have warned that the situation in Gaza is becoming catastrophic, with the United Nations’ humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher last week calling on the world to “act decisively to prevent genocide.”
Dozens of babies have died of malnutrition, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and more than 53,000 people – or 4% of the entire population – have been killed since Israel launched its war following the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas and its allies.
The fact that some of Israel’s closest allies are now pushing back more vocally marks a major shift in attitudes toward the country.
Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN that just two years ago, it would have been unimaginable for Europe to even talk about the possibility of rethinking the Association Agreement. “It was something that was widely seen as a taboo and unrealistic.”
The agreement, which covers various forms of cooperation between the two parties, including the free movement of goods and scientific collaboration, has been in place for 25 years. “The mere fact that this is being discussed seriously today is a sign of not just the increasing frustration, and I think also, let’s be quite clear, anger, in some European capitals over Israeli actions in Gaza,” said Lovatt.
The punitive steps threatened by the EU and other allies are designed in part to sway the domestic debate inside Israel, where society is already extremely divided over the war.