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Visits by EU Leaders to Israel Highlight Growing Divisions in Brussels Over War in Gaza
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Israeli President Isaac Herzog visiting Kibbutz Be’eri. Photo: Reuters/Bernd von Jutrczenka
Visits to Israel by European Union leaders during the last week have illuminated the growing divide in the bloc over the extent of its support for the Jewish state’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
The leaders of Spain, Belgium, and Germany have all made the trip in recent days, with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier earning plaudits from his hosts for his remarks while in Israel — in marked contrast to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, who were accused by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen of giving “support to terrorism.”
Soon after arriving in Tel Aviv, Steinmeier traveled to Kibbutz Be’eri in the south of Israel, where at least 130 residents were murdered by Hamas terrorists during their onslaught on Oct. 7. During his tour of the shattered kibbutz on Monday, the German president pledged that Berlin would provide funds for its reconstruction, announcing the sum of seven million Euros to rebuild its art gallery.
“Be’eri and the many other kibbutzim deserve to be not only part of Israel’s history, but above all to be part of Israel’s future,” Steinmeier declared.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who accompanied Steinmeier, described the German leader and his wife, Elke, as “dear friends.”
“We have a dream, Mr. President, to rebuild this place as part of rebuilding the entire Kibbutz Be’eri and the entire region,” Herzog told his guest. “And we will rebuild and we will go back and we will wake up as a nation as a lion, to go back and regain and rebuild these places, so that they will flourish, and send a message of hope and peace to the entire world.”
In response, Steinmeier observed that “it’s not easy to find the words to describe what we heard from those who have the knowledge and who were witnessing the deeds, the murders, the killings, the rapes by Hamas here on Oct. 7.” He added that he hoped to “create conditions [so] that young people, craftsmen from Germany and from Israel, are meeting here to cooperate very closely in this rebuilding process.”
The visits last week by Sanchez and de Croo were shrouded in tension, however, with several observers speaking of a “diplomatic crisis” between Israel and the two EU member states.
Last Friday, the two premiers held a press conference at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt where they strongly condemned Israel’s military response.
De Croo complained that “too many civilians have been killed in this conflict,” adding: “We cannot accept a society is destroyed the way the society of Gaza is being destroyed.”
For his part, Sanchez decried what he called the “indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, including thousands of children.”
Said Sanchez: “I reiterate Israel’s right to defend itself, but within parameters and limitations imposed by international humanitarian law. And it is not the case.”
The Spanish leader also intimated that Spain would unilaterally recognize an independent Palestinian state if the EU as a whole failed to do so.
Acknowledging that such a move would be “better” if agreed on by all 27 member states, Sanchez then emphasized that “if this is not the case, Spain will make its own decisions.”
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen summoned the Spanish and Belgian Ambassadors for a strong reprimand.
“We condemn the false claims of the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium who give support to terrorism,” Cohen said. “Israel is acting according to international law and fighting a murderous terrorist organization worse than ISIS that commits war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
EU leaders in Brussels have also been underlining their support for a resolution to the conflict that includes an independent Palestinian state.
“The Palestinian people and the Arab neighbors need the reassurance that there will be no forced displacement but a viable perspective, with an independent Palestinian state — Gaza and West Bank reunited — and governed by a reformed Palestinian Authority. And to this end, unacceptable violence by extremists in the West Bank has to stop,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said over the weekend, in a swipe at Israeli settlers in the West Bank. “A peaceful co-existence is only possible with the two-state solution.”
While the EU has backed Israel’s right to defend itself, its concern over the fate of Palestinian civilians in Gaza has grown in parallel with Israel’s escalated bombing campaign.
On Monday, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, told foreign ministers from Mediterranean countries meeting in Barcelona that he wanted the present truce between Israel and Hamas to evolve into a permanent ceasefire.
“The pause should be extended to make it sustainable and long-lasting while working for a political solution,” Borrell said.
The veteran Spanish politician also echoed von der Leyen in expressing criticism of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.
“I’m appalled to learn that in the middle of a war, the Israeli government is poised to commit new funds to build more illegal settlements,” Borrell wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “This is not self-defense and will not make Israel safer. The settlements are a grave IHL (International Humanitarian Law) breach, and they are Israel’s greatest security liability.”
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
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