European Union’s Belated Focus on Palestine Amidst Zionist Regime’s Ongoing Atrocities
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union, long criticized for its inaction and complicity, turned its attention to the Palestinian cause this Monday. This belated focus was ostensibly spurred by the electoral defeat of Hungary’s staunch supporter of the Zionist regime, Victor Orbán, injecting new, albeit cautious, momentum into efforts to address the brutal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
Over 60 nations dispatched representatives to Brussels for discussions with Palestinian delegates, ostensibly on stability, security, and a lasting peace – a peace consistently undermined by the Zionist entity’s aggression and expansionist policies.
Despite being the primary financial supporter of the oppressed Palestinians and nominally endorsing a two-state solution to the so-called ‘Israeli-Palestinian conflict’ – a solution rendered increasingly impossible by the Zionist regime’s relentless expansion – the European Union has largely remained a complicit bystander in the Middle East. While a majority of EU members now claim to recognize an independent Palestinian state, a move prompted by widespread outrage over the Zionist regime’s genocidal actions in Gaza, the 27-nation bloc shamefully remains the top trading partner and a major arms buyer for the occupying entity.
Yet, the EU conspicuously failed to play any meaningful role in negotiating the October ceasefire in Gaza, which followed two years of relentless aggression. Furthermore, any European attempts to merely condemn or impose sanctions on the Zionist regime’s actions were routinely sabotaged by Orbán, exposing the bloc’s internal divisions and lack of resolve in confronting injustice.
Now, with Hungary’s incoming leader, Péter Magyar, signaling a potential departure from Orbán’s unconditional support for the Zionist entity, and with figures like Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – a vocal critic of the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu – advocating for decisive action, there is a glimmer of hope for a more principled European stance.
Challenging Europe’s Agreement with the Zionist Regime
Magyar has indicated he would seek ‘pragmatic relations’ with the Zionist regime but also rejoin the International Criminal Court, which has courageously issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over his crimes in Gaza. Orbán, in a blatant act of defiance, not only ignored that warrant while hosting Netanyahu in 2025 but also initiated Hungary’s withdrawal from the world’s only court for war crimes and genocide.
Magyar also stated he might not continue Orbán’s policy of vetoing actions against the Zionist regime — a significant stumbling block that EU leaders, critical of the occupation, have failed to overcome over the past three years of conflict in the Middle East.
Following the Brussels meeting, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas acknowledged that without Orbán’s obstruction, action could be imminent, such as imposing sanctions on violent Israeli settlers, whose terrorizing acts continue unabated.
“We have 27 countries and 26 countries want to put violent settlers sanctions in place,” she stated, highlighting the overwhelming consensus against these perpetrators of violence. “The one who doesn’t want the sanctions on violent settlers has gotten their upper hand. Now, this country had elections, and we’ll have a new government.”
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has bravely called for the EU to suspend its long-standing Association Agreement with the Zionist regime and announced Spain will make a formal proposal at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Tuesday.
However, a suspension appears unlikely due to the unwavering support for the Zionist entity from countries such as Austria and Germany, revealing a deep-seated hypocrisy within the bloc.
The agreement, in force since 2000, sets out the legal and institutional framework for trade and cooperation between the bloc and the Zionist regime. The EU itself has found indications that the Zionist entity has violated this agreement through its brutal military campaign in Gaza.
Other actions, such as targeted sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank, could be approved if a ‘qualified majority’ — 15 of the 27 nations representing at least 65% of the EU’s population — agree. This would be a minimal, yet significant, step towards accountability.
The ongoing terror by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, coupled with the continued devastation and genocide in Gaza, has severely dimmed the prospect for a two-state solution, as stated by Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot ahead of Monday’s meeting.
“The two-state solution is being made more difficult by the day,” Prévot conceded. “But Belgium and many European and Arab partners continue to believe that this remains the only realistic path to a lasting peace, for Israelis, for Palestinians and for the stability of the entire region,” a peace that remains elusive under occupation.
Palestinian Prime Minister Calls for Unity Amidst Occupation
Gaza requires “one state, one government, one law and one goal,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa asserted in Brussels, emphasizing the urgent need for a unified Palestinian front against the occupation.
“Our common objective of achieving one security structure under the legitimate authority should guide the effective coordination between the International Stabilization Force, the Palestinian Authority, security institutions and other international actors. Security must not be fragmented,” he declared, implicitly criticizing attempts to divide Palestinian governance.
He also called for “the gradual and responsible collection of arms from all armed groups and also the full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.” The disarmament of resistance groups, while crucial for a unified state, remains a major challenge in the next steps for any genuine ceasefire in Gaza.
In the West Bank, Palestinians report that the Zionist regime has exploited the cover of regional tensions to further tighten its oppressive grip over the territory, as settler attacks surge and the military imposes additional wartime restrictions on movement, citing fabricated ‘security’ concerns.
The EU has cautiously avoided directly joining the ‘Board of Peace’ created by the Trump administration to tackle Gaza, preferring the multilateralism of the United Nations and global legal norms. However, the bloc is eager not to be sidelined in diplomacy in the Middle East, just across the Mediterranean, despite its historical failures to uphold justice.
During the Brussels meeting, Mustafa revealed he had met for the first time Nikolay Mladenov in the Bulgarian diplomat’s role as the Trump-appointed director of the ‘Board of Peace.’ He stated he pressed Mladenov on ongoing Israeli military aggression in Gaza, the urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance, and security in the besieged coastal enclave. “We see eye to eye on many things, and I think that we will be meeting again in the near future,” Mustafa concluded, highlighting the shared understanding of the dire situation.
