From the corridors of power to the streets, the Israel-Hamas war, which as of today has been raging for exactly one month, has aroused strong emotions and laid bare stark political and regional divisions in Europe. Perhaps most notably, the conflict has thrown Europe’s political Left into disarray, precipitating the dissolution of preexisting alliances in some cases, while threatening to do the same in others.
The deepest internal divisions to have been revealed by the war are, perhaps, those that exist within the French, Spanish, and the British Left. In France, for example, varying viewpoints regarding support for the Palestinian cause late last month prompted the break-up of the leftist NUPES coalition, which formed following the 2022 elections.
The clear anti-Israel position taken by Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his La France Insoumise (LFI) party, which draws much of its support from France’s Muslim community, has drawn sharp criticism from the socialists and communists. Mélenchon’s party has refused to condemn Hamas’ attack on Israel, and as a result, was called out over its complacency over antisemitism.
La France Insoumise MP Danièle Obono may be facing criminal charges for making “an apology for terrorism” after she referred to Hamas as a “resistance movement.”
Fabien Roussel, the Communist Party’s national secretary has left the group while the head of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, and Socialist MPS have halted their cooperation with the coalition.
Across the English Channel, similar internal divisions have been revealed within the UK’s Labor Party. While the party’s leader Keir Starmer has unequivocally condemned the Hamas’ assault as an “appalling terrorist attack,” others, including several Muslim Labor counselors, have threatened to leave the party due to what they perceive as a “lack of humanity being shown to Palestinians.” Starmer, too, has faced public pressure from top MPs to level criticism against Israel’s military operation in Gaza. The party remains split on whether to call for a cease-fire.
In Spain, where caretaker Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is working hard to stitch together a new left-wing coalition, sharp divisions over the Israel-Hamas conflict also threaten to break preexisting left and far-left bonds apart.
Sánchez’ Socialist Party has condemned Hamas’ October 7th assault as a “terrorist attack,” and backed Israel’s right to defend itself, while high-ranking members of hard-left party Podemos, called for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be brought “before an international court for war crimes,” and claimed Israel’s actions in Gaza to amount to “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide.”
The pro-Hamas, anti-Israel rhetoric coming from Spain’s hard Left has predictably triggered condemnation from the Israeli government.
Meanwhile, at the European Parliament, divisions at the highest levels have also become apparent. In late October, Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs, called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen doubled down on her pro-Israel position, likening the Israeli’s struggle to Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
850 EU staffers, in a joint letter, have leveled criticism against von der Leyen for what they perceive to be a clear pro-Israel bias. “Notably, we are concerned about the unconditional support by the European Commission you represent, for one of the two parties. … The EU risks losing all credibility,” the letter reads.
Within Europe, the regional divisions that exist—both at the street and government level—are also noteworthy. For example, in stark contrast with their Western European counterparts, Eastern and Central European countries, aside from Austria, have yet to witness large-scale pro-Hamas, anti-Israel protests. The anti-Hamas, pro-Israel sentiment on the streets of Central Europe is also mirrored in the halls of power, as Hungary, the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Austria were the only EU countries to oppose a UN resolution to call for an “immediate, sustained humanitarian truce” between Israel and Hamas. Hungary, which hosts one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe, even went so far as to ban pro-Palestinian rallies.
In Western European countries like Germany, meanwhile, the government has failed to prevent pro-Hamas protests where demonstrators openly waive Taliban flags and attack police.
