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Why Is Europe Criticizing Israel Less?

(JNS) Shimon Sherman - When Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a siege on Gaza on Oct. 9, 2023, it did not survive its first interaction with the Western media, which turned immediately to focus on the "plight of the Palestinians." It was irrelevant that Hamas was stealing the majority of the aid. However, when the Israeli prime minister announced on March 2, 2025, that Israel was halting the import of most aid into Gaza as ceasefire negotiations broke down, the response from Europe was muted, and the response from Washington was positive. Several factors came together to produce the muted reaction from Europe. "When the U.S. is behind Israel, we see a very healthy respect from Europe, and they behave much more tamely. This response is a clear reaction to the friendship between Israel and the new administration," said Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. "When the U.S. is critical of Israel, then the European countries will be even more so." Alan Baker, an expert on international law and a former Israeli ambassador to Canada, agrees. "A lot of international media outlets, and organizations including the EU, are hesitant to come down against Israel, knowing Trump's position." He added that "what's going on with Ukraine...is attracting most of the attention from Europe, and comparatively the situation in Israel is less dramatically important for them." An additional factor is the resurgence of right-wing parties and broad discontent surrounding high levels of Muslim immigration into Europe. Moreover, over the past several months the world has been shocked at the images coming out of Gaza. Images of crowds dancing over the coffins of children, emaciated men and mutilated women have all been a stark reminder for the world of the evil Israel is fighting. The imprisonment of hostages did not resonate well with the narrative of the "plight of the Palestinians." "In the last few months, Hamas has been perceived as very cruel and ruthless. I think a growing body of opinion, both in the international public and in the media, has a reduced element of sympathy for Hamas and the Palestinians, because of what they have been doing and because of the stories that have been coming out," Baker said.
2025-03-11 00:00:00
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