Europe’s long-standing tolerance of Israeli impunity in Gaza and the occupied West Bank appears to be wearing thin, as governments across the continent begin to reckon with mounting evidence of war crimes, apartheid, and genocidal violence against the Palestinian people.

In recent weeks, the tide has unmistakably shifted. EU foreign ministers have formally launched a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a major framework for diplomatic and trade relations. Britain has suspended trade negotiations, while Norway’s massive sovereign wealth fund blacklisted an Israeli energy company implicated in illegal settlement activity. Even traditional allies of Israel — including France, the UK, and Canada — have threatened targeted sanctions in response to what they now describe as clear violations of international humanitarian law.

Most telling of all, Germany — Israel’s most unwavering defender in Europe — has broken its silence to issue unprecedented criticism of the Israeli government's conduct, marking a seismic shift in European-Israeli relations.

This overdue response comes after nearly twenty months of relentless Israeli bombardment and siege on Gaza, killing over 54,000 Palestinians — the majority women and children — in what many legal experts and UN officials are now openly describing as a genocide. Simultaneously, the West Bank has seen a dramatic escalation in violence by Israeli settlers, backed by military forces, committing daily assaults, home demolitions, and land seizures.

Many observers have questioned why it took so long. The West, critics note, moved swiftly to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine — not hesitating to weaponize its economic power in the name of international law. Yet Israel, despite a horrific campaign of ethnic cleansing and systematic destruction, has been shielded by Western hypocrisy, with Washington offering military aid, diplomatic cover, and now even efforts to undermine the International Criminal Court's independence.

Still, any attempt to equate Israel’s actions in Gaza with legitimate self-defense is a dangerous distortion. While Israel cites the October 7 Hamas operation as justification for its war, the scale, intensity, and deliberate targeting of civilians — hospitals, schools, refugee camps — have stripped that argument of credibility. The UN and international human rights bodies have amassed overwhelming evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israeli forces.

Europe’s response must go beyond token measures. Legal clarity and political will are essential if the continent is to play any meaningful role in defending the international order. The EU must urgently create a systematic framework for deploying sanctions not just against Russia, but against all states — including Israel — that flout international law and commit atrocities with impunity.

Key areas for effective European pressure are already clear. Trade and travel sanctions would have serious impact. Israel relies on Europe for nearly half of its imports and sends more than a third of its exports to the continent. Fuel shipments, business services, and tourism represent strategic pressure points that could severely disrupt the Israeli economy. Meanwhile, freezing the Bank of Israel’s reserves in European jurisdictions — much like was done with Russia — could send a powerful financial and symbolic message, and lay the groundwork for eventual reparations to Palestinians.

Such steps would not be mere punishment — they would be a signal that European democracies are no longer willing to tolerate genocide dressed up as counterterrorism. Crucially, they would also help restore the credibility of a global system of accountability that has too often looked the other way when Israeli violence is in question.

If Europe truly wants to champion international law, it must act decisively — not just to stop the bloodshed in Gaza, but to make it clear that no country, no matter how powerful or historically protected, is above the law. (ILKHA)