High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (L) and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional relations and Transparency Maroš Šefčovič (R) hold a press conference on in Brussels on September 3, 2025.
Nicolas Tucat / AFP
Israeli ministers say they will retaliate if new proposals by the Commission are taken up.
The European Union took its strongest action against Israel yet on Wednesday, September 17th, proposing curbing trade ties with the only democracy in the Middle East and sanctioning members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
While some of the measures could be blocked by member states, the Commission did say it will take immediate action itself by freezing 20 million euros in bilateral support for Israel.
Netanyahu stressed later in the day that “Israel’s economy is strong—very strong,” suggesting it will be able to withstand this additional pressure.
But Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the suggestions were “morally and politically distorted” anyway and threatened retaliation. He added that “actions against Israel will harm the interests of Europe itself.” Indeed, as our editor-in-chief Mick Hume previously highlighted, Israel’s fight against Hamas terrorists should more broadly be viewed as “the war between civilisation and barbarism.”
Attempting to justify the measures, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen argued that “the horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop.” Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas also stressed that “the aim is not to punish Israel.”
The goal is to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The war must end. The suffering must end, and all hostages must be released.
Israeli officials have also been responding this week to a United Nations commission of inquiry that claims Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Foreign Ministry officials described the report as “fake” and said those behind it were “serving as Hamas proxies.” A researcher at the monitoring group UN Watch added that it was “filled with fake data, fake intent, fake evidence” and “erases Hamas.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed on Monday that Hamas, not Israel, is the blocker of peace, saying the group was made up of “agents of terror and barbarism” and highlighting that they are still holding 48 hostages “and using civilians as human shields.”
Let me be clear: as long as Hamas exists, there will never be peace in this region.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
